Pete Hegseth gets humiliated in court as judge exposes his underhanded tactics

A federal judge has ruled for the second time in a month that the Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, violated journalists’ constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman found that the Department of Defense had defied his earlier March 20 order by rolling out a revised press policy that was, in the judge’s view, just as unconstitutional as the original.

According to The Daily Beast, the trouble began in October 2025, when Hegseth introduced strict new rules for journalists seeking access to the Pentagon. Reporters were told to sign on to the new rules or lose their press credentials. Journalists from nearly every major news outlet, including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, NBC, and PBS, refused to sign and walked out of the building. 

The New York Times and one of its reporters, Julian Barnes, then filed a lawsuit in December 2025, arguing the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution. Judge Friedman sided with them in March 2026, striking down key parts of the policy. He also ordered the Pentagon to restore the credentials of seven Times reporters.

The Pentagon really thought it could fool the judge, and it did not go well

Rather than fully comply, the Pentagon came back with a “revised” policy that closed the Correspondents’ Corridor, a workspace journalists had used for decades inside the Pentagon, and required all reporters to be accompanied by an escort at all times. Judge Friedman saw through it.

“The Constitution demands better,” he wrote. “The American public demands better, too.” He made clear the Pentagon could not simply dress up the same unlawful policy in new language and expect the court to ignore it.

What made things worse for the Pentagon was that one of its own officials, senior adviser Timothy Parlatore, who wrote the press policies, told the Times in an interview that the revised policy used “more words to say the same thing.” 

The judge used that quote directly in his ruling to show the revision was not a genuine fix. Friedman concluded the Pentagon’s closure of the Correspondents’ Corridor and its escort requirement were not security measures but “transparent attempts to negate the impact” of his earlier order.

The judge also did not hold back in describing what he believed the policy was really about. He wrote that the evidence showed its true purpose was to push out journalists who were not seen as friendly to the administration and replace them with those who were. 

He called this “viewpoint discrimination, full stop.” Reporters from right-leaning outlets, including some aligned with Trump supporters, had taken the place of those who left. This is not the first time Hegseth has drawn public ridicule, either. He has faced mockery from unexpected corners, including Iranian officials, adding to a string of embarrassing moments during his time as Defense Secretary.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell pushed back, saying the department had “at all times complied” with the court’s order and that it intends to appeal. The Freedom of the Press Foundation, however, called on Judge Friedman to go further and consider punitive action, warning that “the administration will likely play more games to avoid complying with today’s order as well.”

The New York Times welcomed the ruling. A spokesperson said it “sends a clear message to the Pentagon” that following a court order “is not optional” in a democracy. Hegseth’s troubles do not stop at the courtroom either. He has also come under fire from within, with reports suggesting blame for the Iran debacle is being directed squarely at him by those close to the president.

Judge Friedman, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, also pointed to ongoing U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran as reasons why free press access matters more now than ever.