Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz Wears His Old Congressional Jacket to First Briefing with the Pentagon Press Corps

Matt Gaetz surfaced in an unexpected role this week: not as a lawmaker, but as part of the newly reshaped Pentagon press corps.

The disgraced former congressman was among the reporters present at Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson’s briefing on Dec. 2.

Gaetz now hosts The Matt Gaetz Show on One America News Network (OANN), making him one of the MAGA-aligned media figures newly credentialed to cover the Pentagon under rules that require the department to pre-approve all coverage.

In October, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented Pentagon reporters with a packet of new restrictions they were required to sign in order to keep access to the building. Under those rules, journalists may only report on material cleared by the Department of Defense — which the Trump administration has informally renamed the “Department of War.”

Major outlets including ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, Newsmax, The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Washington Times, Financial Times, Politico and NPR all refused to sign, viewing the conditions as incompatible with independent reporting. Reporters from nearly every large organization staged a walkout on Oct. 15 and turned in their credentials rather than accept the limits.

The Pentagon Press Association said in a statement to The Hill at the time that Hegseth and his department were attempting to “stifle a free press.” The group warned that the new policy “conveys an unprecedented message of intimidation to everyone within the DoD, warning against any unapproved interactions with the press and even suggesting it’s criminal to speak without express permission — which plainly, it is not.”

With legacy outlets gone, the current Pentagon press corps now includes — in addition to OANN — reporters from Real America’s Voice, streaming service Lindell TV, the Gateway Pundit, the Post Millennial, Human Events, the National Pulse and RedState, according to a draft Pentagon announcement obtained by the Post.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell described the revamped lineup in an Oct. 22 post on X as “the next generation of the Pentagon press corps,” claiming it represents “a broad spectrum of new media outlets and independent journalists.”

Gaetz’s appearance in the briefing room drew attention not just for his presence, but for his attire: he wore a personalized jacket labeling him “Representative Matt Gaetz,” despite no longer serving in Congress.

Gaetz was first elected in 2016 as the U.S. representative for Florida’s 1st Congressional District. In 2020, he became the subject of a federal investigation into allegations of child sex trafficking and statutory rape. The U.S. Department of Justice closed the probe in 2023 without charging him, and he remained in office.

A staunch MAGA ally in the House, Gaetz delivered a speech backing Trump at the 2024 Republican National Convention. After Trump’s election victory, the then-president-elect nominated him to be U.S. attorney general in November 2024.

Gaetz resigned his House seat to prepare for the confirmation process, but withdrew from consideration a week later after it became apparent he did not have enough support in the Senate. Though he had already won reelection to another term, he did not seek to return to his seat.

The following month, the House Ethics Committee released the findings of its long-running investigation into the allegations against Gaetz. The report alleged that he paid multiple women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex, and that he purchased and used illegal drugs, including from his congressional office.

The ethics report concluded: “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.”