Cotton noted how concerning it is that the academy provided, whether out of gross negligence or lies, totally incorrect evidence to a news outlet about a political nominee. He also demanded the Lt. Gen. describe what failures led to that false claim from the once-trusted academy.
Beginning the letter to Lt. Gen. Gilland, Sen. Cotton described the attempted article as a political “hit piece” in which the academy participated, saying, “I’m concerned about reports that a U.S. Military Academy official has provided false information to a left-wing reporter writing a derogatory hit piece about Pete Hegseth, the nominee for Secretary of Defense.”
Continuing, Sen. Cotton noted that Hegseth had been accepted to the academy, saying, “I understand that a civilian public-affairs officer, Theresa Brinkerhoff, informed a reporter that Mr. Hegseth didn’t apply to West Point, as he has said publicly in the past. This statement is incorrect; not only did Mr. Hegseth apply, but he was also accepted to the West Point Class of 2003.”
He also noted that the academy may have broken the law in its response and in any case, exhibited “egregiously bad judgment,” saying, “Worse, the statement may violate Mr. Hegseth’s rights under the Privacy Act of 1974 by revealing protected personal information. If true, it also demonstrates egregiously bad judgment to share such information about the nominee to be Secretary of Defense with a known liberal outlet like ProPublica.”
Then, making his demand, Sen. Cotton told the superintendent to investigate what happened, writing, “Could you please promptly look into this matter? Perhaps there’s an honest mistake here, though I can’t imagine what it might be. But I also can’t imagine this action was authorized or known to the West Point leadership.”
Describing the letter in a press release, the senator’s office said, “Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to U.S. Military Academy Superintendent Lieutenant General Steven Gilland urging a prompt investigation into the false information fed to a left-wing media outlet by a U.S. Military Academy official.”
A spokesperson for the Army apologized for what happened, saying, “A review of our records indicates Mr. Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend West Point. An incorrect statement involving Mr. Hegseth’s admission to the United States Military Academy was released by an employee on December 10, 2024. Upon further review of an achieved database, employees realized this statement was in error. Mr. Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the class of 2003. USMA takes this situation very seriously, and we apologize for this administrative error.”
Watch the embattled Hegseth speak about meeting with the Senate regarding his nomination here:
