{"id":5268,"date":"2026-08-24T19:38:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:38:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=5268"},"modified":"2026-08-24T19:38:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T19:38:49","slug":"revealed-pro-trump-journalist-is-employed-by-the-defense-department","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=5268","title":{"rendered":"Revealed: Pro-Trump journalist is employed by the Defense Department"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s Pentagon has experienced a wide number of controversies, from the budgetary hole created by the Iran War and the appointment of cronies to its failures involving the mental and physical health of soldiers on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Now there is a new problem emerging \u2014 namely, that a supposedly neutral reporter has been described as a \u201cspecial government employee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Ex-Trump official barred from bakery in \u2018tense\u2019 confrontation with owner<\/a><\/p>\n

Referring to Jennica Pounds, also known as \u201cData Republican,\u201d AP Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin quoted the Defense Department on Monday as confirming that \u201cMs. Pounds serves at the Department of War as a Special Government Employee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jim LaPorta of CBS News posted a pair of tweets raising questions about the implications of Pounds\u2019 classification.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I tracking correctly?\u201d LaPorta said. \u201cAn under secretary sends docs to DR (Data Republican)\/DOD (Department of Defense) credentialed journalist. DR thinks it\u2019s a deep-state trap. Under secretary says it isn\u2019t. Misunderstanding apparently\/apologies issued. Now we learn DR is also a DoD \u2018special government employee.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When pushed as to whether being credentialed by the Defense Department would lead to Pounds being classified as a \u201cspecial government employee,\u201d LaPorta agreed that the distinction is important.<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed,\u201d LaPorta wrote. \u201cTwo different categories. I\u2019d argue if a journalist was moving from the journalism side of the house to being a government employee (which is fine, it\u2019s happened many times) it\u2019s something one should disclose publicly (unclear if that occurred, catching up on everything).\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018It failed\u2019: Irate GOP senator wants to \u2018choke\u2019 someone over Trump tariffs<\/a><\/p>\n

This is not the first time Pounds was outed as working for the Trump administration in a big story. In February 2025, Pounds was revealed to be working for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an organization led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that slashed billions in government programs and fired thousands of workers without any third party oversight or accountability. Musk strove to keep all DOGE employees anonymous, but some leaks still occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral names have recently surfaced, including Jennica Pounds, a self-proclaimed AI-driven digital detective and the latest figure linked to Musk’s project,\u201d reported Newsweek\u2019s Jesus Mesa at the time. \u201cPounds has spent months using artificial intelligence and data analysis to track government corruption, spending inefficiencies, and financial networks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mesa later added, \u201cShe gained popularity within MAGA circles as @DataRepublican. However, she recently became the latest figure linked to DOGE to have her identity exposed after being doxxed by a Facebook user. Her findings have reportedly influenced DOGE’s decisions, though she insists she has no direct communication with Musk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pounds told NewsNation after being outed, \u201cI’m grateful. Since then, it’s just been a whirlwind.”<\/p>\n

Read more Federal judge issues huge slap to Trump\u2019s domestic spying attempt<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Referring to Jennica Pounds, also known as \u201cData Republican,\u201d AP Pentagon reporter Konstantin Toropin quoted the Defense Department on Monday as confirming that \u201cMs. Pounds serves at the Department of War as a Special Government Employee.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nRevealed: Pro-Trump journalist is employed by the Defense Department - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=5268\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Revealed: Pro-Trump journalist is employed by the Defense Department - 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