A D.C. sports team had to cut loose one of its executives after a MAGA hidden-camera sting brought on too much blowback, according to reporting by The Athletic.
The Washington Nationals fired their community relations executive, Sean Hudson, three days after he unknowingly divulged sensitive team information to a gotcha-style "citizen journalist" from the conservative O'Keefe Media Group, according to The Athletic.
In the video, recorded through a hidden camera interview, Hudson said that the Nationals avoided using Catholic pitcher Trevor Williams in its social media content, The Athletic reported. Williams condemned the Los Angeles Dodgers for hosting the Sisterhood of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag performance group often criticized for dressing as nuns.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has since called on the Department of Justice to investigate the Nationals for religious discrimination, according to reporting by Fox News and The Athletic.
The O'Keefe Media Group was founded by James O'Keefe, the controversial founder of Project Veritas. The Athletic noted that they're known to use deceptive techniques and selective editing in their videos.
Hudson, who was also the team's director of military affairs, said in the video that got him fired that the Nationals invited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to games with the hope of attracting defense contractors as corporate partners, according to The Athletic. He was worried Trump would cut funding for security measures like facial recognition at Nationals Park.
"If we p--- off Trump too much, he could slash the sports and entertainment budget for D.C.," Hudson said. "And then maybe there's a critical safety enhancement that we want to make to the ballpark...we won't have the money to do it."
He also referred to players as "nine silly men in costumes."