A senior Pentagon official is no longer employed by the Department of the Navy after comments he made during what he believed was a private date were recorded with a hidden camera and published online.
Brandon Newsom, who had served as a senior director in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, was featured in an undercover video released Wednesday by journalist James O’Keefe, the founder of Project Veritas. According to O’Keefe, Newsom believed he was meeting someone for a date and was unaware that their conversation was being secretly recorded.
During the conversation, Newsom was critical of President Donald Trump and suggested he intended to remain in government long enough to reverse policies implemented during the current administration.
“I want to stay and stick it out, so that way, when the time comes, I can undo whatever’s been done,” Newsom said in the video. “I have the influence.”
He also described Trump as “a textbook narcissist” and criticized the administration on several policy issues.
The Department of the Navy takes the conduct shown in this video extremely seriously. Such statements and apparent intent to leverage a position to undermine the policies and direction set by our elected leaders are inappropriate and incompatible with the standards expected of… https://t.co/7Drq968QT0
— Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao (@SECNAV) July 22, 2026
Among the remarks drawing attention were comments about religious activities within the Pentagon. Newsom said his position “challenges my morals” and stated that he would eliminate the monthly prayer service if he had the authority to do so.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hosts an optional monthly prayer service for personnel who choose to attend.
Newsom also criticized the administration’s approach toward Iran, describing the conflict as “completely stupid” and attributing it to what he characterized as Trump’s personal motivations. He added that “in true D.C. nature, you don’t always reveal everything in D.C.”
O’Keefe identified Newsom as an official responsible for overseeing corporate operations that support the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, including human resources, information technology, security, facilities, records management, and implementation of executive orders. The Department of the Navy has not publicly confirmed that description of his responsibilities.
The video’s release prompted a swift response from Navy leadership.
The individual is no longer employed by the Department of the Navy https://t.co/tTiMU8jEeH
— Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao (@SECNAV) July 26, 2026
Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao announced Wednesday evening that Newsom had been placed on administrative leave while the department reviewed the matter.
“The Department of the Navy takes the conduct shown in this video extremely seriously,” Cao wrote on X.
He continued, “Such statements and apparent intent to leverage a position to undermine the policies and direction set by our elected leaders are inappropriate and incompatible with the standards expected of Department personnel.”
Cao added that the leave was intended to allow the department to “determine next steps to ensure accountability and protect the integrity of our mission.”
Sec of Navy announces TERMINATION of the guy who told me (in disguise) he wants to “undo” Trump’s policies.
Who in the Deep state should I sting next? https://t.co/0QNzY5VTUC
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) July 27, 2026
Just a few days later, Cao provided another update.
On Sunday, he announced that Newsom “is no longer employed by the Department of the Navy.”
The department has not publicly stated whether Newsom resigned or was dismissed.
Following the announcement, O’Keefe celebrated the outcome on social media.
“Who in the Deep State should I sting next?” he wrote on X.
