West Point emails reveal how the prestigious military academy messed up Pete Hegseth’s admissions status
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West Point emails reveal how the prestigious military academy messed up Pete Hegseth’s admissions status
A West Point official said in December that Pete Hegseth hadn’t applied to the military academy.Internal emails released to BI show staffers had to query an “out-of-use database” to find the record. ProPublica denied Heg seth’s claim, saying it had simply asked him to respond to a statement by a West Point public affairs official who told the news outlet that he hadn’t even applied, much less been admitted. The new records show the mistake was West Point’s, which neglected to review an old archive of the academy’s thousands of past applicants before the controversy took off.”The record shows that he declined the offer,” the employee wrote. “Its in an old archived table,” an employee whose name was redacted wrote in an email, typing out a line of search query language to demonstrate how the admissions record could be found. The Pentagon and West Point didn’t respond to requests for comment on the original article on why we didn’t publish a story once Mr Heg Seth corrected the statements from West Point.
Hegseth proved he had been accepted, prompting attacks from Republicans and calls to investigate.
Internal emails released to BI show staffers had to query an “out-of-use database” to find the record.
Recently released West Point records shed new light on exactly how the December snafu over Pete Hegseth’s admission to the prestigious military academy happened.
On the morning of December 11, Hegseth wrote on X that the investigative news website ProPublica was about to run a “knowingly false” story saying that he hadn’t been admitted to the US Military Academy, where many of America’s Army officers are trained.
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ProPublica denied Hegseth’s claim, saying it had simply asked Hegseth to respond to a statement by a West Point public affairs official who told the news outlet that Hegseth hadn’t even applied, much less been admitted.
At the time, Hegseth and his allies used the incident to blame West Point and the media. The new records show the mistake was West Point’s, which neglected to review an old archive of the academy’s thousands of past applicants before the controversy took off.
Internal emails, released to Business Insider under the Freedom of Information Act, showed West Point staffers exchanging emails on December 10 about Hegseth’s claim to have been admitted, after he produced a letter as proof.
“Look what they now provided??” Theresa Brinkerhoff, a public affairs official, wrote to another West Point employee.
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In another email thread, an employee whose name was redacted wrote, “anyone can generate an acceptance letter…doesnt mean its legit.”
“Very true,” Brinkerhoff replied.
By the afternoon of the 10th, West Point staff seemed to have realized their mistake. “Hes in there,” an employee whose name was redacted wrote in an email. “Its in an old archived table,” the person said, typing out a line of search query language to demonstrate how the admissions record could be found.
“The record shows that he declined the offer,” the employee wrote.
Hegseth ended up going to Princeton, where he studied politics, played basketball, and joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. He served in the Army National Guard after graduation and moved into conservative activism and media jobs.
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Hegseth has been a magnet for criticism in his six months as defense secretary. His nomination to lead the Pentagon was looking uncertain last December amid allegations of alcohol abuse and mistreatment of women. Hegseth denied the claims and promised to stop drinking.
Terrence Kelley, the head of West Point’s communications office, apologized to ProPublica the afternoon of the 10th. “My sincere apologies for the incorrect information,” he wrote. “It was inadvertent.”
Hegseth apparently didn’t get the memo. He posted at 8:10 am the next day that ProPublica was about to run a false story.
Kelley told colleagues on December 11 that it was important that they get “official word” to ProPublica that Hegseth was telling the truth. “Confirming Hegseth’s claim probably kills any interest Propublica has in the story but the longer we delay response, the more likely that becomes a story,” he wrote.
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In a later email to ProPublica, which never ran a story about Hegseth’s admission, he called the flub an “honest mistake.”
By the afternoon of the 11th, West Point’s press office had received inquiries about Hegseth’s post from eight other media outlets. That same day, Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas asked the school’s leadership to look into how the statement was made.
“The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error,” West Point told media outlets.
“Following the release of inaccurate admissions information last December, West Point implemented additional guidance for the proper review and release of any information to outside parties,” Kelley, the West Point spokesperson, told BI. “We regret the error and are committed to ensuring it does not happen again.”
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“Reporters do their job by asking tough questions to people in power, which is exactly what happened here,” a spokesperson from ProPublica said. “Responsible news organizations only publish what they can verify, which is why we didn’t publish a story once Mr. Hegseth provided documentation that corrected the statements from West Point.”
The Pentagon and Cotton didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Read the original article on Business Insider
MLK Jr.’s Daughter Brutally Taunts Trump Over Epstein Files
Bernice King, who was only 5 when her father was killed, wasn’t falling for the government’s blatant misdirect. “Now, do the Epstein files,” she wrote on X Monday night. The Trump administration has already tried several other subjects for its disastrous bait and switch, including threatening to prosecute and imprison several of the president’s political enemies. The Justice Department announced earlier this month that the sex offender kept no incriminating “client list”
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard announced Monday that the government would release 230,000 files on the federal investigation into King’s assasination.
But Bernice King, who was only 5 when her father was killed, wasn’t falling for the government’s blatant misdirect. “Now, do the Epstein files,” she wrote on X Monday night.
Screenshot of a tweet
In a statement following the files’ release, Bernice and her brother Martin Luther King III urged that the “files must be viewed within their full historical context” and echoed the family’s long-held contention that the man who’d been convicted of King’s assassination, James Earl Ray, was not solely responsible for the death of the civil rights leader.
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“As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief—a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met—an absence our family has endured for over 57 years,” they wrote. “We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family’s continuing grief.”
This is the third week of fallout from the Trump administration’s disastrous rollout of the Epstein files—or lack thereof. The Justice Department announced earlier this month that the sex offender kept no incriminating “client list,” even though Trump’s attorney general claimed one had been sitting on her desk, sparking widespread backlash among Trump’s conspiracy-addled following.
The Trump administration has already tried several other subjects for its disastrous bait and switch, including threatening to prosecute and imprison several of the president’s political enemies, such as former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Senator Adam Schiff.
US lawmakers back Australia submarine project in Pentagon letter
The Republican and Democratic heads of a U.S. congressional committee for strategic competition with China have written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They stress their strong support for the AUKUS submarine project currently under Pentagon review. The Pentagon said in June it was reviewing the three-way collaboration between Australia, Britain and the United States to ensure it was aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America First agenda” The congressmen said the AukUS framework was “a key step to dramatically enhance the collective defense” in the face of the CCP’s ongoing aggression. They noted Australia’s $3 billion commitment to support these efforts, the first tranche of which was delivered this year.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Republican and Democratic heads of a U.S. congressional committee for strategic competition with China have written to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to stress their strong support for the AUKUS submarine project currently under Pentagon review.
Details of the AUKUS plan to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s were unveiled in 2023 under former President Joe Biden, part of efforts to counter China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
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The Pentagon said in June it was reviewing the three-way collaboration between Australia, Britain and the United States to ensure it was aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America First agenda,” amid concerns about the ability of the U.S. to meet its own submarine needs and whether Australia’s vessels would be used in support of U.S. policy in the future.
In a letter to Hegseth they released on Tuesday, Republican Representative John Moolenaar and Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi said China’s expanded military capabilities and coercive actions against neighbors showed it was “credibly preparing to use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.”
The congressmen, the chair and ranking member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) respectively, said the AUKUS framework was “a key step to dramatically enhance the collective defense of the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom in the face of the CCP’s ongoing aggression.”
“AUKUS has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for a reason,” they wrote. “Alongside our colleagues, we understand the agreement promises to strengthen our national security alongside that of two of our closest allies.”
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China has described AUKUS as a product of a “Cold War mentality” and said it would lead to greater divisions and confrontation, or even conflict and war.
The congressmen stressed that both the U.S. and Australia must continue to make “generational investments” within and outside the AUKUS framework to expand their respective submarine industrial bases, work forces, and force structure.
They noted Australia’s $3 billion commitment to support these efforts, the first tranche of which was delivered this year.
Last week, Australia’s Washington ambassador Kevin Rudd said his country was working with the Pentagon on the review and was confident that all issues raised would be resolved.
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Leading the review has been Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, who has previously expressed concern that the U.S. would lose submarines to Australia at a critical time for deterrence against China. The congressmen copied their letter to him.
This month, Australia’s Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy responded to a report that Colby had pressed Australia and Japan to clarify what role they would play if the U.S. and China went to war over Taiwan by saying Australia would not commit troops in advance of any conflict.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also rebuffed U.S. requests to commit to lifting defense spending from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, saying instead Australia would spend what was needed for its defense.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
New York mayoral frontrunner Mamdani leaves business leaders divided on opposition strategy
New York-based CEOs have yet to coalesce behind either the former governor or incumbent Adams. Many leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach, though others believe that could be a bad move. Mamdani has raised about $820,000 since the primary through July 21, according to the city’s campaign finance board. Cuomo has said he would drop out by September if he isn’t the clear favorite and has urged others to do the same, though by state law his name would remain on the ballot.”I can only vote for one candidate in November, and that decision won’t be made until closer to Election Day,” said Jared Epstein, president of real-estate owner and developer Aurora Capital Associates, in an email. “It will hopefully be clear who’s better positioned,” said Whitney Tilson, who ran in this year’s Democratic mayoral primary, “and ONLY THEN should the other guy drop”
Following Cuomo’s announcement that he would stay in the race as an independent after losing to Mamdani, New York-based CEOs have yet to coalesce behind either the former governor or incumbent Adams in their bid to defeat Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who won the primary in June.
Several business leaders who would only speak under the condition of anonymity said they would support Cuomo, while others were backing Adams, a former police captain who was elected mayor as a Democrat in 2021 but this year decided to run as an independent, as less sure of the former governor’s chances. Many leaders are taking a wait-and-see approach — though others believe that could be a bad move, keeping another candidate from gaining momentum.
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Mamdani won the June 24 primary with 56% of the vote, bolstered by young voters drawn to his social media presence and messaging focused on solving the city’s affordability crisis. Polling suggests he would prevail over a fractured field of Cuomo, Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, but some polls suggest Cuomo would win a head-to-head matchup against Mamdani in heavily Democratic New York.
Business owners are concerned that Mamdani’s proposals, which include rent freezes, free city buses and city-owned grocery stores, would add to residents’ tax burden and cause an exodus of capital.
Mamdani says his plans, which also include free childcare, would be paid for by raising corporate taxes and imposing an additional 2% income tax on New Yorkers earning more than $1 million a year.
“I can only vote for one candidate in November, and that decision won’t be made until closer to Election Day,” said Jared Epstein, president of real-estate owner and developer Aurora Capital Associates, in an email. “Until then, like nearly every one of the 20,000 contacts in my phone, my position is simple: ABZ – ‘Anyone But Zohran.'”
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Mamdani has raised about $820,000 since the primary through July 21, according to the city’s campaign finance board. Few prominent business leaders have publicly come out in support of Mamdani, who has received endorsements from unions that previously backed Cuomo. In recent days, Mamdani met with executives in a meeting organized by the nonprofit Partnership for New York City.
“He did a pretty good job of making the case that he was open to conversations, discussion and learning, and that he wanted to build a coalition that would represent all New Yorkers,” said Kathy Wylde, president and chief executive officer of the group.
Cuomo has said he would drop out by September if he isn’t the clear favorite and has urged others to do the same, though by state law his name would remain on the ballot. He has raised just $64,000 since June 10.
Adams has raised roughly $1.5 million since June 10. Maria and Kenneth Fishel, who own luxury real estate company Renaissance Properties, hosted a fundraiser for Adams in Long Island’s Hamptons over the 4th of July weekend. Adams has also received support on social media from hedge-fund managers Bill Ackman and Daniel Loeb. He has been endorsed by 13 police unions.
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Hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson, who ran in this year’s Democratic mayoral primary, receiving just 0.8% of the vote, said in an email that once the election is one month away, “it will hopefully be clear who’s better positioned to beat Mamdani and ONLY THEN should the other guy drop.”
Neither Cuomo nor Mamdani’s campaigns responded to a request for comment.
Todd Shapiro, spokesperson for Adams, said Adams made New York stronger after the pandemic and will continue to deliver results for the business community in New York.
Sliwa, who is polling behind both Mamdani and Cuomo, said he is not planning on dropping out; Sliwa, as the Republican candidate in the 2021 mayoral general election won 27.8% of the vote.
(Reporting by Samantha Marshak; additional reporting by Svea Herbst Bayliss; editing by David Gaffen and Leslie Adler)
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson announces campaign for governor
Masterson was elected to the Kansas House in 2004 and the Senate in 2009. He was last elected in 2024, and could keep his seat if he doesn’t win the governor’s race. Masterson faces three candidates who have held statewide office and several longshot contenders in the GOP primary for the governorship. The Democratic ticket is less populated, with Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, being the only elected official to announce she’s running.
Masterson was elected to the Kansas House in 2004 and the Senate in 2009. His fellow senators elected him as Senate president in 2021.
In his announcement video, Masterson said he’s running to cut taxes, reduce crime, prevent government overreach and “save our kids from a radical ideology that has penetrated our culture and our education system.” He said in the Legislature, which is held by a Republican supermajority, he’s limited in how he can respond to liberal policies.
Senate President Ty Masterson faces three candidates who have held statewide office and several longshot contenders in the GOP primary for the governorship.
“Because Liberal Democrats have governed in Topeka for 15 of the last 23 years, especially the 4 years Laura Kelly was in alignment with Joe Biden, that promise has been broken. And we’re feeling the impact. More than 200,000 people have fled Kansas in recent years. It’s unacceptable,” Masterson said in an email announcing his campaign.
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He pointed to tax cuts, bans on youth gender medicine, bans on transgender people competing in sports and election security bills as accomplishments in his legislative career. He was last elected in 2024, and could keep his seat if he doesn’t win the governor’s race.
Crowded primary
Masterson will face Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer, as well as longshot candidates like conservative podcaster Doug Billings, businesswoman Joy Eakins, businesswoman Stacy Rogers and former Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara.
The Democratic ticket is less populated, with Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher, D-Overland Park, being the only elected official to announce she’s running to replace Kelly, who is term-limited. Marty Tuley, a fitness trainer, has also announced he’s running for governor as a Democrat.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Ty Masterson running for Kansas governor in crowded GOP primary