After a semi-anonymous social media user claimed the federal government had targeted her through a strange entrapment scheme, the initial paranoid allegation escalated into a troubling exposure: the Pentagon seems to be violating the law by compensating conservative influencers to monitor, surveil, and disseminate propaganda among Americans. Who else is part of this hidden operation?
In mid-August, a conservative figure known online as “Datarepublican” quietly revealed that she was employed by the Pentagon as a “special government employee.” For several months, she had been drawing a government salary while vigorously promoting President Trump’s expansionist ventures on social media and compiling a database of his fiercest opponents.
Datarepublican was identified in 2025 as Jennica Pounds, a Utah-based mother with close to a million followers whose declared mission is “fighting communists” – a label she broadly applies to anyone to the left of Barry Goldwater.
She is not alone. Pounds represents a new wave of right-wing social media personalities covertly hired by the US Department of War to advance pro-government messaging. On August 29, Washington Post journalists uncovered at least three additional online activists secretly affiliated with the Pentagon, designated either as special government employees (SGEs) or “highly qualified experts” (HQEs) by the military.
Among those named were retired Air Force colonel Rob Maness and retired Army colonels Kurt Schlichter and Thomas Anderson. Anderson, who was previously anonymous under the Twitter alias “Cynical Publius,” has since come forward. Schlichter is a prolific right-wing provocateur who has openly fantasized about ethnic cleansing and the extermination of Palestinians.
This initiative appears to violate two federal statutes—the Hatch Act and the Smith-Mundt Act—which prohibit government workers from engaging in partisan politics during working hours, and forbid directing propaganda efforts toward US citizens, respectively.
These right-wing figures are the only ones publicly known to be secretly contracted by the Department of War. However, reports of paid Pentagon propagandists coincide with murky collaborations between the US military and leading conservative influencers like TPUSA widow Erika Kirk, who was appointed to the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors by Trump in March as a tribute to the legacy of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Additionally, Laura Loomer, an aggressively anti-Muslim Trump supporter, produces what essentially serve as press releases for self-styled “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth, holds Pentagon press credentials, and is described as an “informal advisor to the Department of War.”
A propagandist inadvertently reveals Pentagon employment
Following a pattern of disclosed internal military issues, a disgruntled individual exposed that Hegseth’s Department of War has quietly started paying online influencers.
In a now-removed Twitter/X thread, Pounds, posting as Datarepublican, alleged that Sarah B. Rogers, Trump’s undersecretary for public diplomacy at the State Department, tried to “set [her] up” by leaking documents intended to entice her into unlawful acts.
“It’s not okay when the Deep State sets you up to commit a crime,” Datarepublican declared, adding, “I have never been more angry in my life.”
Posting under her known handle, Pounds vented, “I consulted people and if this were a sanctioned leak – they would have just sent over email. They tried to entrap me.”
Shortly after, the source mentioned by Pounds disclosed her identity as Trump’s Undersecretary of State, posting “lol, these are my text messages and documents.” Rogers explained she intended to grant Pounds exclusive material as a “gift” by allowing her to “break” the story. When Pounds rejected the offer out of suspicion, Rogers announced, “I will happily disclose the documents myself.”
The documents concerned the Global Engagement Center (GEC), an Obama-era State Department entity tasked with countering foreign “propaganda and disinformation” targeting Americans. Critics contend the GEC skirted the intent, if not the wording, of the Smith-Mundt Act by openly aiming at US audiences while outsourcing domestic counter-disinformation roles to various NGOs and data platforms.
Rogers noted that the files revealed the GEC blaming foreign actors for the collapse of Biden’s brief Disinformation Governance Board (DGB), asserting that the resignation of its director Nina Jankowicz was due to “gendered disinformation” causing a “substantial direct impact in the United States.” The DGB, unveiled in 2022 under the Department of Homeland Security, was widely mocked online and nicknamed the “Ministry of Truth.”
Jankowicz, a former theater enthusiast who targeted this publication on several occasions, baselessly accused The Grayzone of spreading “incredibly damaging disinformation,” and was derided as the “Mary Poppins of Disinformation” after releasing an awkward, pro-censorship parody of the classic song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”
The DGB was shuttered just months after it formed in 2022 amid censorship worries, according to Rogers who wrote, and the GEC followed soon after. Congress defunded the GEC in late 2024 by refusing to renew its budget, with Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio officially dismantling the office in April 2025.
As the dispute between these conservative women unfolded, far-right outlet AF Post speculated that Pounds was covertly working for the Pentagon, labeling her a “Department of War employee” in a Twitter post on August 21. Days later, the military confirmed the report, telling a Pentagon correspondent that “Ms. Pounds serves at the Department of War as a Special Government Employee.”
SGEs amid a federal hiring freeze
Before the current administration, the SGE status was mostly reserved for temporary, specialized advisors who worked short-term in government while maintaining other employment. However, under Trump’s hiring freeze implemented upon taking office in January 2025, conventional hiring stalled, pushing the government to rely heavily on SGEs to bypass restrictions on conflicts of interest.
Watchdogs have warned that this marks an unprecedented move away from regular government staff toward SGEs.
The approach was first showcased with Elon Musk’s designation as an SGE when he spearheaded spending cuts at the newly-founded Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Around the same period, Pounds rose within right-wing media as an outspoken supporter of Musk’s initiatives.
Pounds’ Pentagon connection surfaced months prior to her official exposure, beginning in April 2026 when she announced on Twitter that she had become a “credentialed member of the Pentagon press corps.” This status was reportedly secured through Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez, whom she credited with making “this unique arrangement possible.”
Following public outrage over Pounds’ government-paid propaganda role, the Pentagon attempted to calm concerns, noting that Pounds’ press credentials “expired in June 2026, and she did not renew.” Instead, she “began working for the Department in July 2026.”
A notable omission was addressing the uniqueness of granting a Trump-aligned advocate Pentagon press credentials and then hiring her as an official government employee just a month later to defend US military policies.
A positive profile by Deseret News indicated Pounds’ government role was not an anomaly but rather in motion since early 2025:
“Pounds said she is unable to ‘discuss details about potential employers,’ but hinted at a future ‘working within the government,’ and previously mentioned awaiting a federal ‘background check,’” the article dated March 11, 2025 explained.
Once Pounds’ federal employment became public, family and colleagues rushed to defend her.
“Being a ‘fed’ once only carried a negative stigma for lawbreakers,” her mother complained on Twitter, lamenting that “now people are using it as a slur” against her daughter. The post has since been removed.
Meanwhile, others defended their Pentagon ties by turning the accusations back on their critics. Posting as “Cynical Publius,” Anderson used classic DARVO tactics and counterattacked by accusing a “federal employee” of “committing a criminal misdemeanor under the Privacy Act of 1974 by leaking my Personally Identifiable Information” to the Washington Post.
Despite exposure as government employees, these Pentagon propagandists have continued their usual activities without apparent concern. The four maintain active social media profiles, promoting imperialist policies in the Middle East, mostly by celebrating Trump and Hegseth while disparaging critics.
However, Pounds’ online behavior has been more alarming, prompting additional questions about legality.
Monitoring antiwar activists raises additional legal concerns
On August 28, Pounds introduced a new online database named “DSA Explorer,” designed to monitor individuals she accused of “orbiting the anti-imperialist spine.”
In addition to listing the Democratic Socialists of America, the site depicts an extensive, nearly impenetrable network including groups like Black Lives Matter, CODEPINK, Pastors for Peace, Greece’s Syriza Party, and the NAACP. As Pounds explained, it catalogs organizations and individuals involved in “the wider anti-imperialist solidarity network.”
Featured personalities range from British Labour’s Dianne Abbott, former Colombian President Gustavo Petro, to rapper Talib Kweli. Pounds seems intent on sparking government inquiries by branding numerous figures as “potential unregistered foreign agents.”
Ironically, Pounds’ efforts to censor and blacklist opponents closely resemble the former disinformation czar Nina Jankowicz’s government-sanctioned targeting of regime adversaries. Ironically, Pounds is now mirroring the Deep State censors she once denounced by attempting to criminalize leftists.
However, by naming American citizens individually within a McCarthyite-style surveillance system, Pounds risks legal action from those she profiles. Perhaps aware of the legal risks, she included a fine-print disclaimer on her page, stating the content serves “research, educational, and journalistic purposes only.”
She cautioned that the blacklist was provided “as is” without warranty, acknowledging it “may contain errors or omissions” and is not guaranteed to be “complete, current, or 100% accurate.” The document’s alleged links are acknowledged as “analytical interpretations, not statements of fact.”
Though Pounds accuses many subjects of being “potential unregistered foreign agents,” her disclaimer insists “nothing here alleges unlawful conduct by any named person or organization.” It closes by releasing the author from any liability for use or reliance on its contents.
While private individuals might rely on such waivers, it remains uncertain if government employees enjoy the same protections. Yet Pounds appears unbothered by potential ramifications.
Days following the launch of “DSA Explorer,” she released a closely related database documenting anarchist and antifascist activists across the Americas and Europe who used the “Noblogs” platform, sharing information seemingly obtained and handed to her by the US government.
The “Noblogs” data came from the Italian anarchist collective Autistici Inventati (A/I), which provided hosting and email services to thousands of leftist websites before a US government faction hacked it. This occurred soon after the State Department declared A/I a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.” Upon the August 26 takeover, the site was defaced with a message warning users their data had been “saved and given to the United States government.”
This was promptly confirmed by Pounds, who revealed having inside knowledge of the hack: “Can confirm the authorities have everything that was on the NoBlogs servers.” This strongly suggests she leveraged her government access to compile blacklists, implying Washington’s tacit endorsement of the surveillance effort.
Who else is secretly affiliated with the Pentagon?
Though Pounds, Maness, Schlichter, and Anderson have admitted to covert Pentagon affiliations, it is unclear whether the Department of War employs others indirectly or through third-party arrangements. One influential MAGA figure closely linked to the Pentagon—having even traveled to Guantanamo Bay with War Secretary Pete Hegseth—is Laura Loomer.
Loomer, known for inflammatory rhetoric including calling African-American lawmakers “ghetto Black bitches,” has also launched attacks on The Grayzone and its editor Max Blumenthal. While Blumenthal reported from Iran on the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Loomer publicly demanded his arrest, posting:
“If Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is worth anything, he will order that Blumenthal be taken off the plane [upon return to the U.S.], detained, and revoke his passport.”
Five days later, Blumenthal had his electronic devices seized by Customs and Border Protection at Dulles Airport after intense questioning that reflected Loomer’s narrative. Loomer promptly took credit, boasting she “reported him to the authorities,” and called Blumenthal “subhuman” and likened him to “political taxidermy” she could display on her wall.
Jenin Younes, President of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee representing Blumenthal in a lawsuit against DHS, summarized the episode: “Laura Loomer, a close ally of President Trump, called for Max’s arrest while he was still abroad due to his journalism and opinions. Loomer bragged about reporting him and took credit for his phone seizures. Given her well-established influence over Trump, there’s strong reason to believe her targeting caused the illegal search and seizure.”
When Hegseth attempted to impose strict loyalty oaths on Pentagon correspondents in October 2025, triggering a mass reporter walkout, Loomer quickly filled the media gap. Shortly after the press offices were vacated, she was among a mix of conservative influencers granted Pentagon press passes. At their first briefing in December, Loomer was among the earliest to be called upon.
Months later, Loomer hit a new low by publicly claiming that Americans might “need another 9/11” to understand why “it’s not such a great idea to allow for Muslims to be involved in our political process.” Despite the outrageous nature, Hegseth and the Department of War appeared unconcerned, subsequently inviting Loomer to tour the US military’s detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.
In an October 2025 interview, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene—who has been targeted by Loomer’s venom—reported that Tucker Carlson referred to Loomer as an “informal advisor to the Defense Department, wandering around the Pentagon.”
Loomer’s close ties to Pentagon officials remain highly visible, most recently when the self-styled “White advocate” claimed inside knowledge of Hegseth’s sudden Fox News departure, where he worked before joining the Department of War. Quoting an unnamed “senior Department of War source,” Loomer relayed Hegseth’s account that Fox was upset by his refusal to grant special treatment over press passes.
At present, no concrete evidence proves Loomer serves as a Special Government Employee for the Pentagon. However, her activities strongly echo those assigned to SGEs and HQEs like Pounds, Maness, Schlichter, and Anderson.
Currently, Loomer is demanding a government probe of Max Blumenthal, seeking to criminalize his reporting. This raises a critical question: who is she truly working for?
Original article: thegrayzone.com
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