Reporter says she was fired from Trump-friendly outlet after criticizing Hegseth

The Hill

2 days ago

The former chief Pentagon correspondent for conservative outlet One America News Network (OANN) said she was fired from her position after criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a Substack post on Memorial Day.
A self-described 'MAGA girl,' Gabrielle Cuccia began her post last week by stressing that 'I was (and still am) unapologetically defiant in my support for President Trump.'
But she tore into the president's top Pentagon appointee, criticizing Hegseth for his new rules blocking reporters' access to areas of the Pentagon, saying the 'real' leaks at the Defense Department 'haven't come from the press. They've come from Hegseth's own team and other senior officials.'
'Let's call this what it is: limiting freedom of movement in the name of 'national security,'' she wrote in the Substack about the new access restrictions.
'The Pentagon wants to paint a picture that journalists are freely roaming classified spaces, sneaking into SCIFs, and leaking top-secret information. And that is simply not true,' she wrote. 'There are security cameras everywhere, protocols in place and quite frankly, it would be painfully obvious if a reporter was in a space they didn't belong.'
She defended other reporters at the Pentagon and the work they do.
'It's pretty obvious how I feel about fake news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC,' she wrote, adding, however, that, 'I also watched, and continue to watch, the Pentagon beat reporters for those other networks. I see the stories they publish. I read their questions.'
'And while I think their obsession with advocating for transgender inclusion in the military is a complete waste of time and taxpayer resources — I can still confidently say that these reporters are not a national security threat,' she added.
Cuccia also blasted Hegseth for failing to hold press conferences and said Hegseth's team contacted her in advance 'for the one and only press briefing conducted' to ask what questions she planned on asking.
'Over at the White House, the Administration understands the freedom of the press, and keeps the door open anyway. And they would certainly not field questions *before* said press briefing,' she added.
Shortly after the fiery Substack post, Cuccia said she was no longer employed at OANN.
'By Friday,' Cuccia said, according to The Associated Press, 'I was out of a job.'
DOD did not pull Cuccia's credentials, according to the AP, which cited an anonymous Defense official. OAN's president told the AP he would not discuss personnel matters.
Cuccia told the AP that OAN told her that the Substack piece had been 'put on their radar,' but declined to elaborate further and would not detail discussions she had with her former employer.
'When a reporter asks inconvenient questions about government overreach, the response should be accountability — not silence, and certainly not separation,' Cuccia said, the AP reported.
The Hill has reached out to Cuccia and OAN.