Pete Hegseth Takes a Page Out of His Cable News Playbook With New Makeup Room Next to Press Briefing Area

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is taking a page out of the book from his days as an on-air personality at Fox News by ensuring that the Pentagon’s briefing room has a makeup studio to prepare him and other senior officials for television appearances.A room adjacent to the press briefing room has recently been retrofitted by an in-house construction crew to accommodate the new equipment, according to a report from CBS News, and allow for touch-ups before on-camera interviews or appearances before the nearby cameras. The room, a waiting area, was previously a sparsely furnished room with only a table with chairs, a TV, and photos of previous defense secretaries, a source told the news outlet. The new additions to the decor include a large director’s chair, a mirror outfitted with lighting specifically for makeup, and new countertop.The idea to update the room allegedly came from a former producer for both Fox and CBS News, deputy assistant Tami Radabaugh. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, and Mr. Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer, who is a former Fox News producer, signed off on the upgrades before remodeling began.“Changes and upgrades to the Pentagon Briefing Room are nothing new and routinely happen during changes in an administration,” a Defense Department spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News, adding that the room will also be used by senior officials and VIPs before press conferences.Mr. Hegseth has not used the press room to brief reporters but he has used it as backdrop for remote interviews, including one earlier this week on Fox News during which he blamed the press and disgruntled former employees of the Defense Department for leaks coming out of the Pentagon.“We’re focused on recruiting, on rooting out DEI, on securing our southwest border, on the president’s agenda,” he said during the Tuesday appearance on Fox News, “and it’s going very well at the Pentagon, and I’m proud of it.”

Pete Hegseth Takes a Page Out of His Cable News Playbook With New Makeup Room Next to Press Briefing Area

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