Damn, Pete! Direct Government Censorship

And this time, it's not the loony Left! You can follow along in the text.

Matt Jordan

Oct 18, 2025

Transcript

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Last week, the Donald walked all over his own victory lap, saving what is left of Gaza, by crying publicly about NOT getting a Nobel prize. This week, Pete Hegseth, about whom I just published a favorable piece, is stomping all over that win, and taking a match to the tatters.

The P4B has hit two hard walls in terms of my editorial views on the Trump Administration and the War Department. One is the new press rules, the other is Digital ID. We’ll deal with the media flap at the Pentagon today.

In the past, while NOT supporting DJT across the board, I have spoken of my approval of most of his policies. But when they get something wrong, like the wildly flailing tariff policy, or tariffs at all, I will happily ding Trump and the administration.

In the way of editorial support, the greatest difficulty I’ve had is getting past Trump’s stupid way of describing his own policies. For one example, in discussing the use of the National Guard in cities, a policy I tacitly support, instead of making the mission of the Guard clear under the constitution, based on PLENTY of precedent, Trump will blurt out, we’re going in, or there are very bad people - very bad, and we’re going to do something about it or words to such effect.

This may fire up the base, but it doesn’t provide the justification for the troops.

For the record, there is plenty of precedent for using the Guard. And our cities have become criminal shit holes, with the criminals being openly supported by state and local government. The restoration of order in such circumstances is a slam dunk. He can use the guard do that.

Protecting federal entities in cities, those with a national mandate to carry out there work ANYWHERE in the United States, is Trump’s obligation. That’s not even a close call. He can do that. ICE should do it’s job and those who try to thwart that ought to expect AT LEAST pepper balls heading in their direction. You can protest, but don’t throw rocks at government vehicles and don’t spit on the nice man in the riot gear.

But there is little in the way of articulation of these realities. There’s just tough talk. That makes it difficult for those trying to support the strong hand to voice our support.

So that’s an example of where I support DJT, et al, when they can’t find their own message, even with a set of instructions.

But this week a new policy has dropped from the War Department that does not sit at all well with me. One part of the press policy is stupid on its face and certain to die in court. It is a huge distraction and will be seen as an unforced error. Pete has REALLY stepped in it, by releasing this policy.

The new guidelines have things I have no problem with at all. Restricted access and escorted access of the press corps is fine with me. To be honest, I was floored to hear of the way the press was walking all over the Pentagon with a near complete sense of entitlement. That is TOO cozy an arrangement and a security nightmare. So creating order there is fine.

The media have a duty to report what they learn in their investigations. They don’t have the right to sit in an office, provided by the government they are “reporting” on, and to have information spoon-fed to them. The days of housing spitballers AND cheerleaders should end.

Things get fuzzy with admonitions about reporting classified information. In the past, we trained our people to keep their pie holes shut. There is always somebody who will run their face in an effort to feel important, get attention or play politics from inside the Pentagon. On rare occasions there are legit whistle-blowers who have something important to report. In any of those cases, when a correspondent reports on these things, they always knew they were taking a chance of getting in hack with the government. This is not new. I am neutral on including talk of it in the new guidelines. But there it is. One can ignore the wording or freak out about it with equal justification.

I say, if you want to be the next Pentagon Papers guy, good luck. But watch your back. You’ll have some pissed off people, with a legitimate ax to grind, coming at you.

Thing go south when we start to talk of rules regarding “solicitation” and “approved reporting”. And the signing of pledges is pure, unadulterated bullshit!

It is the duty of every member of the press, our opinion of most of them not withstanding, to report what they can glean from there area of responsibility. They MUST ask people questions to do this. As soon as an official, in this case Hegseth, starts qualifying what is a good question, and what bad, we have a problem. This is what the new guidelines call “solicitation”, and it is how the news has been gathered since before Gutenberg created his press. While reporters ought to be careful with how a question is worded in an open forum (sometimes the question can release what is legitimately classified, even highly sensitive information IN the question), it is the obligation of the subject to decide whether he will answer such questions or slap down the questioner.

If a reporter crosses a serious line, there are remedies for that, including criminal sanctions. But no reporter should be told what questions to ask.

The nonsense about “approved reporting” goes hand-in-glove with the “solicitation” lunacy. It is incumbent on leadership in government to sharpen their message to a point where they win the argument. We already know, the DNC-run media outlets have no objectivity in anything they report. They are out to sink the entire administration. Until now, there has not been a problem for the Trump administration to get their story out anyway. The clearer, simpler and more honest the message (like the Hegseth meeting with the big brass), the less the Lefty press will be able to pervert it, no matter how hard they DO try.

As shitty as the press has been over the years, the Pentagon and the White House have always had a lot of success at keeping a lid on things operational, especially things that put lives in danger. In this, a little schmoozing, flattery and tap dancing goes a long way with media people.

And you have no limit on speeches and announcements you can make. The meeting of the flag-rank officers being a perfect example. People can hate it if they wish, but Pete won the argument hands-down. That event was 180 degrees out from this new policy.

The new guidelines requiring journalists sign a pledge is the most twisted thing to come out of this whole mess. Such a pledge is un-signable. If I, a fan of Pete, had access to the Pentagon (and I should), there is NO WAY I would sign it. It is not my job, and beyond my ability to KNOW what is approvable to begin with. So I’d have to ask about things I want to know about. AND to have stories “approved” is absolutely the censorship the Right has been diligently fighting against for years now. I’ll ask. You tell me or you don’t. If I find someone inside who will, that’s your problem, not mine. If I end up releasing something classified, it is incumbent upon me to lawyer up and defend myself. It is incumbent upon officials involved to protect information and not make mountains of molehills.

In any event, if you don’t like my reporting, don’t talk to me.

To date, this is the worst news to come out of this administration. It needs to be reversed and quickly! They can keep the escorted access in place. There is nothing wrong with that. And if a member pulls an Jim Acosta, and decides he owns the press room, give him the boot. But the pledge, the preventing questions and the approval crap has to go!

A reversal like this is often followed by the belly button resigning. I don’t want that. Recruitment is up. Moral is up. The flag ranks know what is expected. That is all Pete’s doing. But he still has some growing to do. I’d like to see him called on the carpet. I’d like to see him then appear before the press with Trump, looking duly admonished, then getting back to work with DJT’s enthusiastic blessing.

As for the media, Thomas Sowell is quoted saying: “Too many journalists see their work an an opportunity to promote their own pet political notions, rather than to inform the public and let their readers and viewers decide for themselves.”

It is no defense of Hegseth to say that the press has been, for decades now, pushing us to this kind of adversarial situation with ANYONE to the Right of Bernie Sanders. Respect is not an entitlement. And most of us have NO respect for most of the media. The media needs to regain the respect of their subjects and their consumers for this to come out right. I am not sanguine.

Now all this is very worrisome. The Donald needs to fix it quick. But what we’ll discuss in the next day or two is far more disturbing. I’ve been warning about this kind of thing for years. And now it is happening. We’ll talk about Digital ID. And Trump is cozy with the people behind it.