The Pentagon fired Jacqueline Smith, the congressionally mandated ombudsman charged with protecting the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, just six days after a group of lawmakers sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a letter expressing “great alarm” about political interference at the military newspaper. Smith said Defense officials gave no reason for her removal and told her the action “is not grievable.”
The ouster, first reported by The Hill, is set to take effect April 28, more than a year and a half before Smith’s three-year term was scheduled to expire at the end of 2026. She took on the role in December 2023.
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