Right-wing media figures Laura Loomer and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) were among members of the press who sat for a rare briefing with Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson on Tuesday.
Gaetz, the lawmaker once floated for Attorney General and now a host for the pro-Trump media outlet One America News Network, was called on early during the briefing and asked Wilson what role the U.S. military could play in Venezuela, if the South American country’s leader Nicolas Maduro flees the country amid a pressure campaign from the Trump administration over alleged drug trafficking.
“The department has a contingency plan for everything,” Wilson replied. “Our focus is taking out narco terrorists … every single boat we strike is saving American lives.”
The briefing came as the Pentagon faces backlash, including from some Republican lawmakers over a pair of military strikes in September on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean— the second of which reportedly killed survivors of an initial hit.
When Loomer, a far-right activist and media personality, was called on, she asked about plans for the U.S. government to sell fighter jets to Qatar.
Wilson replied that the Pentagon “looks forward to continuing its partnership with Qatar,” a position Loomer pressed back on, saying the Middle East nation is the “largest sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood” and asking if the U.S. would “reevaluate” its relationship with the nation.
The press secretary demurred, saying the Defense Department “prioritizes national security,” and was not aware of any changes to U.S.-Qatari military agreements.
Earlier this fall, the Pentagon announced a major revamp of operating procedures for press covering the department, asking reporters to sign a restrictive press policy and sparking a mass exodus of mainstream media outlets from the building.
The Trump administration responded by credentialing a number of right-wing or MAGA friendly figures, some of which have not covered press conferences in person previously.