Senator Tom Cotton Demands Answers from West Point

Senator Tom Cotton criticized West Point after it falsely claimed that Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, was not accepted to the academy. In a letter to Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, Cotton called the incident either gross negligence or dishonesty, noting Hegseth had indeed been accepted to the Class of 2003.

Cotton accused the academy of poor judgment and potentially violating Hegseth’s rights under the Privacy Act by sharing personal information with ProPublica. He demanded an investigation into how the false statement occurred.

The Army later issued an apology, admitting an “administrative error” and confirming Hegseth was offered admission in 1999 but did not attend. West Point assured it takes the matter seriously.