ABC’s Jon Karl Throws Down With Speaker Johnson On Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon Press Ban: ‘The Guy’s Only Had Two Briefings’
ABC’s Jon Karl battled House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Sunday, about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth amid the widely-criticized new Pentagon press policy.
In a robust debate on ABC’s This Week, Karl took the House Speaker to task about Hegseth banning press from the Pentagon if they did not comply with a series of restrictions on their access. (Every major news organization declined to comply with the restrictions, with only far-right network OAN and several other fringe outlets agreeing. The outlets turned in their credentials on Wednesday and no longer have access to the Pentagon.)
“Do you have a sense for why the secretary of Defense seems to be afraid to interact with journalists who cover him?” Karl asked.
“I reject the premise,” Johnson replied. “Fear is not part of the Secretary of War’s make-up, OK?”
“I mean, the guy’s only had two briefings since he … became secretary of Defense,” Karl shot back.
“He’s very transparent,” Johnson claimed.
“And they’ve basically forced the Pentagon press out of the building unless they would agree to sign a pledge that would make it impossible to be independent journalists,” Karl said.
Johnson argued that Hegseth’s public speeches are indicative of his transparency.
“I can’t remember, and I don’t think you can either, a Secretary of Defense who has been so transparent, out in the open, talking about priorities, principles and things,” Johnson said.
Karl countered by noting that it’s one thing to deliver prepared remarks, and another to take questions from the press.
“I traveled around the world with Secretaries of Defense,” Karl said. “I interviewed them. I questioned them in the Briefing Room. Other reporters did as well.
“But did all those secretaries… come out and do public speeches as often as Hegseth does?” Johnson said. “To be everywhere all the time among the troops?”
“Public speeches?!” Karl said. “Answering questions!”
Watch above, via ABC.
