Justice Department defends Pentagon’s proposed firings of Stars and Stripes staffers

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Trending on The Hill - September 2, 2026

Trending on The Hill - September 2, 2026

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is defending the Pentagon’s plan to dismiss three Stars and Stripes staffers for alleged insubordination, pushing back against claims that the decisions were made partially in retaliation for the military outlet’s coverage of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin and reporter Lara Korte sued the Department of Defense (DOD) last Thursday, seeking a court order that would block the department from terminating them.

The staffers have alleged that the Pentagon is attempting to fire them “for speaking up as private citizens in support of the press’s freedom to cover military operations,” in addition to other First Amendment violations.

The dispute involves comments made by Korte and Slavin during a July interview on “CBS Sunday Morning” regarding the military newspaper’s editorial........

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