Hegseth orders prior approval for ‘all interactions’ between military officials and Congress

Pete Hegseth speaks at the United States Marine Corps 250th birthday celebration at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton on October 18, in Oceanside, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images/File

The Pentagon is barring nearly all Defense Department personnel, including military commanders, from talking to Congress or state lawmakers unless they have received prior approval from the agency’s office of legislative affairs, according to a memo signed this month by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and obtained by CNN.

“Unauthorized engagements with Congress by [Defense Department] personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives,” says the memo, which was obtained by CNN.

The dire