Pentagon Pete’s Co-Host Faces Criticism | Fox News Fallout
Abby Huntsman, a former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, found herself defending her former colleague Pete Hegseth during a guest appearance on The View Tuesday, as the panel scrutinized Hegseth’s role in potential foreign policy missteps and his current position as Defense Secretary.
The discussion arose following the airing of a clip featuring former President Trump seemingly attempting to deflect blame for a potential escalation with another nation, pointing to Hegseth as the initial advocate for a particular course of action. “Pete, I believe you were the first one to speak up and you said let’s do it because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said in the clip. Whoopi Goldberg commented that Hegseth appeared to be facing potential fallout, stating, “So the plan seems to be, blaming Hegseth.”
Huntsman attempted to highlight Hegseth’s positive attributes, stating, “I worked on a show with Pete and praised him for his service, and he’s a smart guy and was a perfect Fox News host.” However, Sunny Hostin pressed Huntsman directly, questioning whether Hegseth’s qualifications extended to leading the Department of Defense. “Is he a ‘perfect’ Secretary of Defense?” Hostin asked.
Huntsman deflected, expressing concern over what she characterized as frivolous depictions of a serious role. “For one, I would say the cartoons and movie memes have got to stop. When you come from a military family, this is not a game,” she said. Hostin persisted, directly asking if Huntsman believed Hegseth was qualified for the position, but Huntsman again avoided a direct answer.
The exchange occurred amidst a broader legal challenge to policies implemented by Hegseth as Defense Secretary. In December, The New York Times filed a lawsuit alleging that the Pentagon’s new credentialing policy, overseen by Hegseth, violated journalists’ First Amendment rights to free speech and due process. On March 20, 2026, a federal judge sided with The New York Times, reversing the Pentagon’s press restrictions. The ruling ordered the Pentagon to reinstate the press credentials of seven Times journalists and struck down restrictions on news reporting.
Following the judge’s decision, the Pentagon announced on March 23, 2026, that it would remove media offices from the Pentagon building, closing the “Correspondents’ Corridor” used by reporters for decades. Journalists will eventually be relocated to an “annex” outside the building, though the timeline for its availability remains unclear. The Pentagon Press Association criticized the move, calling it “a clear violation of the letter and spirit of last week’s ruling” and questioning why the department would restrict press freedoms at a critical time.
The dispute over press access echoes similar conflicts during the previous administration, which also faced accusations of limiting access for legacy media outlets while favoring conservative and pro-Trump voices. The Times’ lawsuit also noted that dozens of reporters had walked out of the building rather than agree to the government-imposed restrictions.