Craig Whitlock

⬇️A wild slideshow of Fat Leonard photos that the US Navy tried to keep hidden 📽️

Admiral Montgomery told me for my book that he had no memory of attending a $30,000 feast that Fat Leonard hosted for 9 Navy officers in Hong Kong, even though emails show Montgomery helped plan it. He also signed the menu. (“It was an honor and pleasure to eat with you.”)

Trump said every single Gold Star family told him to “finish the job” but that’s not true. @Petereporter tells the truth nbcnews.com/politics/donal…

Mark Robinson, NC's failed GOP candidate for governor in 2024, admits he lied during that campaign and acknowledges addiction to porn and "carnal things." The latest from @dani__battaglia. newsobserver.com/news/politics-…

Two cents here from the back row of this briefing: In convos with veterans, military families and other Americans, I've heard thanks from some for asking hard questions and frustration from others. Our role is to scrutinize each step of the way. The stakes are sky high.

Denmark took the threat of a US invasion of Greenland so seriously that it sent blood supplies and explosives in January to blow up runways at civilian and military airports in case of attack. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/ac…

Asked by a Japanese reporter why allies were not informed about U.S. starting a war against Iran ahead of time Trump jokes, “Why didn’t you tell us about Pearl Harbor?”

SCOOP!!! Trump administration considering deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East as the military prepares options for the possible next phase of the Iran war. One option for securing the Strait of Hormuz includes deploying troops to Iranian shores. w/@idreesali114

It is unclear what impact the targeting of senior leadership is having on Iran’s war effort, as Tehran continues to escalate retaliatory strikes against its Persian Gulf neighbors, today hitting energy infrastructure. washingtonpost.com/world/2026/03/…

SCOOP: Pentagon asks Trump admin for more than $200 billion in budget request for Iran war. Have to imagine this will be a giant fight in Congress. From ⁦@noahjrobertson⁩ ⁦@JStein_WaPo⁩ ⁦@rbeggin⁩ washingtonpost.com/national-secur…

Sen. Rand Paul, chair of the Senate committee overseeing Mullin's nomination, wastes no time in confronting Mullin for saying he understood why Paul's neighbor attacked him in 2017. "Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it," Paul said.

DHS pick Markwayne Mullin boasts of ‘special assignments’ abroad but offers few details (with @marianne_levine) washingtonpost.com/immigration/20…

Scoop: Joe Kent and Tulsi Gabbard met with Vice President JD Vance at the White House on Monday, per sources. During the meeting, Kent presented his resignation letter to the vice president

The Pentagon inspector general report on Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto's drunken activities in Kyiv includes this detailed chronology of him falling down multiple times, apparently due to intoxication.

@CrispinBurke @HopeSeck That’s one of my all-time favs

@CraigMWhitlock @HopeSeck It gives this guy a run for his money. washingtonpost.com/news/worldview…

Army general guzzled so much brandy in Kiev that he showed up literally falling-down drunk for a U.S. embassy meeting with the Secretary of State in 2024, investigation finds. And he left military secrets on a train. Via @HopeSeck militarytimes.com/news/your-mili…

“We have 20 Q1 wins in 5 years Duke has 17 THIS YEAR!”

Dug through court cases to find lawyers admitting that the Trump cuts to FOIA offices have made it so they can't meet deadlines. Free link: wapo.st/4usKeAd

The Fed won a sweeping court victory Friday. But the fact that it needed one tells you everything about how much has changed. The unsealed filings are something else—the Fed catalogued 100 Trump attacks on Powell and told a court the probe was designed to help the president “seize a power specifically denied to him by federal law.” Fed independence used to be protected by norms. Now it’s protected by judges. What that shift means going forward: wsj.com/economy/centra…

"When I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split." --Raymond Chandler versus the @TheAtlantic copydesk, 1948 theatlantic.com/newsletters/20…

In remarks accepting the RTDNA First Amendment Award tonight, Fox News nat-sec correspondent @JenGriffinFNC spoke about the Pentagon press corps walking out in protest, the importance of Voice of America, and the safety risks for journalists — including fallen colleagues.