Pentagon Quietly Installed 3 Pro-Trump Military Influencers in Civilian Roles
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 30
Pentagon Quietly Installed 3 Pro-Trump Military Influencers in Civilian Roles
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 30
Summary
Pentagon records show retired colonels Rob Maness and Kurt Schlichter held active ".civ" email accounts in Anthony Tata’s office this week, while Thomas Anderson was listed there earlier this year.
The three were assigned as special government employees or highly qualified experts, people familiar with the matter said, but the Pentagon would not say whether they are paid, what they do or how long they will serve.
At least some of the roles could shape policy: the trio appeared for the Pentagon’s Senior Service College Task Force at the Army War College in May, part of Hegseth’s push to root out ideology he calls "woke."
Their undisclosed government work overlaps with large online platforms—about 135,000 X followers for Maness, 620,000 for Schlichter and 323,000 for Anderson—where they have praised Hegseth and attacked critics without noting Pentagon ties.
The revelations widen scrutiny of the Trump Pentagon’s influence operation after Jennica Pounds disclosed she became a Defense Department special government employee in July following time in Hegseth’s new press corps.