Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez responded to a Washington Post report on the Defense Department designating its press office as a classified space and banning journalists from accessing the press office “to meet with the public affairs officers who have traditionally answered their questions.”
Valdez confirmed that “the Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility.”
He added, “These speechwriters routinely handle classified material and require SIPRNet access. As a result, journalists will no longer be permitted to enter the office space. There’s nothing controversial about that. Access to the office of the Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs @SeanParnellASW and to the Press Secretary remains available by appointment only.”
This is the most transparent War Department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that.
The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War… https://t.co/tlWb1XIeOk
— Acting Press Sec Joel Valdez (@JoelValdezDOW) June 1, 2026
Former Stars and Stripes national security reporter Kevin Baron, founding executive editor of Defense One, replied to Valdez, “lol what nonsense. By appointment only? For decades, press secretaries and AtotheSecDefPAs literally left their doors open for journalists to walk on in or wait politely for a moment to interact and ask questions. The public servant would, ya know, serve. Sad paranoia.”
Baron added a photo of his father and son visiting him at the Pentagon (below) and added: “This is the super double secret hallway shared by Pentagon reporters and public affairs staff. Look at the state secrets exchanging hands, plotting against the government… (my dad and my son visiting about 13 years ago).”
This is the super double secret hallway shared by Pentagon reporters and public affairs staff. Look at the state secrets exchanging hands, plotting against the government… (my dad and my son visiting about 13 years ago) pic.twitter.com/7JJqvddmMl
— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) June 2, 2026
AP national security writer Seth Hettena also replied to Valdez: “Listen to yourself. Journalists will no longer be permitted to access the Pentagon Press Office, and ‘there’s nothing controversial about that.’”
[NOTE: Prior to joining the second Trump administration, Valdez served as a communications director and senior advisor for MAGA-aligned U.S. Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL).]
Veteran D.C. journalist Jamie Dupree also replied: “Just bizarre stuff out of the Pentagon – making the Pentagon press office into a SCIF to keep reporters out of the building.”
[NOTE: The U.S. General Services Administration defines a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) as “an accredited area, room, group of rooms, or installation where sensitive compartmented information may be stored, used, discussed, and/or electronically processed, where procedural and physical measures prevent the free access of persons unless they have been formally briefed for the particular sensitive compartmented information authorized for use or storage within the sensitive compartmented information facility.”]