Rep. Jim Banks, (IN-R), has accused the U.S. Military Academy at West Point of attempting to "sabotage" Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense after the academy mistakenly claimed Hegseth was not accepted as a prospective cadet.
West Point apologized for the error, confirming Hegseth was admitted in 1999 as a member of the Class of 2003 but chose not to attend, FOX reported. The false statement had been provided to a journalist from ProPublica, leading to speculation about Hegseth's credentials before he publicly shared his acceptance letter.
"It is outrageous that West Point officials would so grossly interfere in a political process and make false claims regarding a presidential nominee," said Banks.
A staunch ally of Hegseth, Banks demanded West Point provide all communications related to the incident, describing it as either gross incompetence or intentional interference.
ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger responded to Hegseth regarding the inaccurate report with a thread on X detailing the series of events.
"This is how journalism is supposed to work," he concluded. "Hear something. Check something. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as needed."
1/ Here's a story about how journalism works.
— Jesse Eisinger (@eisingerj) December 11, 2024
Spoiler Alert: This is how we decide *not* to publish.
We were recently looking at Pete Hegesth's different statements over the years about West Point, where he has said he was admitted.
First stop: West Point. https://t.co/TceZdglkmL
Hegseth continues to meet with senators as part of his confirmation process. The controversy has added fuel to an already contentious nomination, with supporters like Banks doubling down on their defense of Hegseth's credentials.
"Pete Hegseth will shake up the DOD and eliminate wokeness from our military," Banks told Fox News. "This upsets bureaucrats at West Point who now seem to be trying to sabotage his nomination."
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