Stars and Stripes Staffers Sue Pentagon, Pete Hegseth Over ‘Unlawful’ Firings and ‘Retaliation’
The dismissed publisher, editor-in-chief and Middle East reporter call for their terminations to be halted The post Stars and Stripes Staffers Sue Pentagon, Pete Hegseth Over ‘Unlawful’ Firings and ‘Retaliation’ appeared first on TheWrap .
Three high-ranking staff members at the independent military news outlet Stars and Stripes have filed a lawsuit against the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Erik Slavin, publisher Max D. Lederer Jr., and Middle East reporter Lara Korte are seeking a restraining order, alleging their termination as "unlawful" and a form of "retaliation."
The trio claims their dismissals were prompted by their critical coverage, which they assert violates their First Amendment rights as journalists. Slavin argues that Stars and Stripes, funded in part by the Pentagon, must maintain editorial independence to provide accurate information to military personnel. Lederer and Korte assert they were let go for refusing orders to fire Slavin and Korte.
The lawsuit highlights a long-standing conflict over the newspaper's autonomy, with Pentagon Chief spokesman Sean Parnell, Defense Secretary Hegseth, and Hegseth's deputy Andrew Brey named as defendants.
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