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Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said Wednesday that a senior Department of the Navy official has been placed on administrative leave after a hidden-camera video surfaced showing him criticizing President Donald Trump and discussing plans to remain in government after the administration ends.
The video was recorded by investigative journalist James O’Keefe, who secretly filmed Brandon Newsom, the Navy secretary’s director of business operations, during what O’Keefe described as a date.
In the footage, Newsom criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict with Iran and described the president as a “narcissist.”
“Yeah. I think it’s [War in Iran] completely stupid, but it’s driven on one man’s [President Trump] ego to me, in my own personal opinion,” Newsom said.
Newsom also said he intended to remain at the Pentagon after Trump’s presidency so he could “undo whatever’s been done [at the Pentagon]” once the administration leaves office.
According to the video, Newsom also expressed a desire to change the Pentagon’s monthly voluntary Christian faith service into a prayer service open to people of all faiths.
Cao announced on X that Newsom had been placed on administrative leave while the department reviews the matter.
“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 Department personnel,” Cao posted to X.
“Effective immediately, this individual has been placed on administrative leave while we determine next steps to ensure accountability and protect the integrity of our mission,” he added.
The Department of the Navy has not announced whether additional disciplinary action will be taken following its review.
