ProPublica, a nonprofit news outlet known for its investigative reporting, nearly released a false story claiming Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth was not accepted to West Point. The publication refrained only after Hegseth provided his letter of admission.

On Wednesday morning, Hegseth shared on his X account that ProPublica had planned to publish a “knowingly false report” about his 1999 admission to West Point. To counter the claim, he posted his acceptance letter online.

ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger responded by stating the outlet had no intention of publishing the story. However, Eisinger acknowledged that ProPublica initially planned to pursue the report based on incorrect information provided by a West Point employee.

Eisinger explained in a post on X that the outlet was investigating Hegseth’s statements about his West Point admission. When ProPublica contacted the academy, a West Point employee mistakenly claimed that Hegseth had not applied for admission.

Believing they had uncovered a significant story, ProPublica contacted Hegseth for a response. According to Eisinger, the outlet informed Hegseth’s legal team of its plans to write about the issue. However, after Hegseth presented his admission letter, ProPublica returned to West Point for clarification. The academy admitted its initial error, confirming that Hegseth had been offered admission as part of the class of 2003.

Despite this correction, Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, claimed ProPublica never explicitly told Hegseth or his team that it would not publish the story. The last communication they received indicated the story was still in progress.

Eisinger defended ProPublica’s actions, calling it part of the journalistic process. “This is how journalism is supposed to work. Hear something. Check something. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as needed,” he wrote on X. However, Eisinger did not explain why the outlet initiated the investigation or why Hegseth was contacted only after the story was planned.

The situation stemmed from an error by a West Point employee. Army Col. Terrence Kelley, Director of Communications for West Point, issued an apology to Breitbart News. He stated:
“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 archived 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.”

Kelley added that West Point takes the matter seriously and regrets the administrative error.

The incident prompted Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), a former Army reservist, to demand an investigation. Cotton called for accountability in a letter to West Point’s superintendent, asserting that the academy should not provide inaccurate information to reporters. He also questioned the potential violation of the Privacy Act.

Hegseth’s lawyer, Parlatore, sent a separate letter to West Point, highlighting concerns about the actions of Ms. Theresa Brinkerhoff, a civilian public affairs officer who provided the erroneous information. Parlatore accused Brinkerhoff of assisting an attempt to discredit Hegseth with false information, raising potential legal issues under the Privacy Act of 1974.

This controversy follows other media scrutiny of Hegseth’s military record. The Washington Post recently published a report minimizing Hegseth’s achievements, including his two Bronze Stars.

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition team, criticized the coverage as an attempt to “smear” Hegseth and other nominees. “This is another disgusting story,” she said.