A senior Pentagon official has been placed on leave following the release of a secretly filmed video that criticizes President Donald Trump’s administration. The video, released by right-wing activist James O’Keefe, allegedly shows Brandon Newsom, a senior official in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, speaking candidly with a hidden camera.
Newsweek has not independently verified the authenticity of the footage. According to the video, Newsom expressed his desire to “stay and stick it out” at the Pentagon, aiming to “undo whatever’s been done” by the Trump administration. He also labeled Trump as “a textbook narcissist” and criticized the Iran war as “completely stupid,” attributing it to “one man’s ego.”
Following the video’s release, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced Newsom’s suspension. “The Department of the Navy takes the conduct shown in this video extremely seriously,” he stated on X. Cao emphasized that leveraging a position to undermine policies set by elected leaders is inappropriate and incompatible with the standards expected of Department personnel. Newsom has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, as the department assesses next steps to maintain accountability and protect mission integrity.
The situation remains under investigation and developments are expected.
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