Hegseth announces joint taskforce with DoJ to target and prosecute press leaks

US defense secretary says taskforce will combat dangers' of leaks in latest escalation of White House press crackdown

The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, announced on Monday that the Pentagon and the US Department of Justice have created a joint taskforce to identify and prosecute" what he called the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive" information to the press, marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration's effort to crackdown on leaks.

In a video posted on X, Hegseth said that to combat the dangers that leaks pose, effectively immediately, I have delegated tasking authority to the war department's office of general counsel, empowering OGC to request and receive all information, records and support across the department concerning media leak investigations".