A MAGA conspiracy theorist who says his news outlet is in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new Pentagon press corps once had his Naval security clearance suspended.
Jack Posobiec, a senior editor at the conservative news site Human Events and Turning Point USA host, rose to notoriety for pushing the debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, which alleged that Hillary Clinton and other leading Democrats were running a pedophile ring.
Posobiec has announced that Human Events has been selected for the Pentagon press corps after legacy outlets refused to sign new, restrictive rules, and staged a mass walkout.
The 40-year-old political activist, a Catholic descendant of Polish immigrants who has promoted white supremacist and antisemitic talking points, is a major cheerleader for President Donald Trump and is close to Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon.
But Pennsylvania-born Posobiec, a former Navy Reserve intelligence officer, has a somewhat checkered history with the U.S. military.
Despite having won awards for his time in the Naval Reserve, in February 2017 he had his security clearance suspended.
At the time, Posobiec told the Daily Beast his clearance had been temporarily paused during a transfer between units, after his former commanding officer raised concerns about his Twitter activity.
He told NBC News he “never conducted any of my political activities while in uniform or on government time. I never once mishandled classified information.”
Posobiec did not say whether his clearance was later restored, but he resigned in March 2017 to pursue a media career.
Hegseth, 45, imposed the new Pentagon press rules this month, which critics say could criminalize routine national-security reporting by barring journalists from obtaining even unclassified information without prior authorization.
The Pentagon has not released details of the 60-plus signatories to its access policy, but Human Events is among the organizations publicly claiming a spot, alongside the Post Millennial and others.
Posobiec wrote on X on Wednesday, “Excited to announce @HumanEvents and @TPostMillennial have joined the Pentagon Press Corps!” His post came as the Defense Department, newly restyled by Hegseth as the “Department of War,” unveiled a “next generation” corps, which skews toward far-right outlets and influencers following last Wednesday’s mass walkout.
Posobiec is one of the most ardent and vocal supporters of the Trump administration. In February, Hegseth’s team rewarded that loyalty with a “media” invite on the defense secretary’s first overseas trip to Germany, Belgium, and Poland.
Before Posobiec was an alt-right media star, NBC News reported records showed he had entered the Navy Reserve on May 25, 2010, received his commission on Oct. 31, 2013, and was made lieutenant junior grade in October 2015.
Posobiec’s file lists one overseas posting, a 10-month stint at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, beginning Sept. 11, 2012. He also traveled abroad for annual training and while working as a civilian for the Navy.
In the Navy Reserve, he accumulated multiple unit and service ribbons during his Navy tenure and was awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.
Posobiec left his civilian post at the Office of Naval Intelligence in March 2017, saying his pro-Trump stance had created a “toxic work environment” and that his “political advocacy” was gaining momentum.
The Daily Beast contacted Posobiec and Human Events for comment. The Department of Defense declined to comment, with a spokesman saying it would never comment on individual security clearances “in accordance with the Privacy Act.”
The post New Pentagon Pool Reporter Once Had Naval Intelligence Security Clearance Suspended appeared first on The Daily Beast.
