Grand Theft America / Receipt power-2026-06-01-037
The Pentagon bars reporters from its press office by declaring the room classified
The Department of Defense barred journalists from entering the Pentagon press office after redesignating it a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, the acting Pentagon press secretary said.
What happened
Acting Pentagon press secretary Jose Valdez said in a social media post that the press office had been redesignated because speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War share the facility, and that journalists would no longer be permitted to enter the office space. The move was first reported by the Washington Post and later confirmed by Valdez on social media. It follows sweeping restrictions the department announced on journalists' work in October, which the New York Times sued over and which a federal judge ruled against in March. No source dates the redesignation itself; the Guardian published its report on 1 June 2026.
Why it matters
The press office is the working channel through which the defense department is questioned on the record, and reclassifying the room closes it without announcing a press policy at all. The Guardian describes the revocation of access as the newest attempt by Trump's defense department to restrict reporting on military affairs.
Receipt details
- Phase 1
- Silence the watchdogs
- Punish critical news coverage
