‘Scared little bunny’: Hegseth’s chilling press warning has ex-CNN reporter raising alarms

A veteran Pentagon reporter tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday after a security agent warned journalists they could be physically removed from his press conference.

Barbara Starr, who covered the Pentagon and national security for CNN for more than two decades, wondered in her Substack, “Barbara Starr Reports,” whether Hegseth had gone from trying to be a bully to “a scared little bunny” as he faces possible impeachment. Her post’s headline asked whether Pentagon reporters could be facing handcuffs.

Starr pointed to a social media post from Washington Post reporter Tara Copp. Copp said that before what she described as Hegseth’s first press conference in six months, a security agent told reporters they would be physically removed if they failed to behave professionally and keep order. When reporters asked whether that covered shouted questions, Copp said, they got no clear answer.

Vanity Fair correspondent Aidan McLaughlin added that the official warned about reporters getting out of line, according to Starr. She wrote that a press aide, Joe Valdez, offered to explain the orders only off the record and would not speak on background, which she said would have kept the details from the public.

Starr argued that shouting questions at officials is a routine part of the job.

“The official doesn’t have to answer if they don’t want to or are too nervous to think of a truthful answer,” Starr wrote. “Many don’t like the media to do this. But in this country it’s an essential part of freedom of speech.”

She stressed that the issue was reporters raising their voices, with no physical aggression on their part. She demanded to know who issued the order, how the Pentagon defines decorum and what would trigger a reporter’s removal, and questioned whether the order violates the First Amendment.

Hegseth has repeatedly lost in court over his efforts to restrict the press. Most of the Pentagon press corps turned in their badges last year rather than sign his rules. After Tuesday’s briefing, Copp noted that Hegseth took just one question from the outlets that had refused.

Starr wrote that Hegseth is the first defense secretary to call only on reporters he deems friendly, which she said is why others shout. She noted that past defense secretaries routinely fielded tough questions.

“If every other secretary of defense has been able to do it, why can’t Pete Hegseth?” Starr wrote.

The briefing came as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) pushes to force a House vote on impeaching Hegseth.