REPORT: Hegseth Plagiarized Parts Of Senior Thesis

The Daily Princetonian reports:

“After Card’s whisper, Bush looked distracted and somber but continued to listen to the second-graders, joking that they ‘read like sixth-graders,’” reads the senior thesis authored by Pete Hegseth ’03, now the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

This sentence is notable for recapping the precise moment President George W. Bush was informed of the 9/11 attacks. But it is also notable because it is nearly identical to one published by The Washington Post in 2001, two years before Hegseth wrote his thesis.

A review of Hegseth’s thesis by The Daily Princetonian, in consultation with three experts on plagiarism, found eight instances of uncredited material, sham paraphrasing, and verbatim copying.

Read the full article.  

New: Pete Hegseth allegedly plagiarized the Washington Post and the New York Times and others in his senior thesis at Princeton, according to the The Daily @Princetonian pic.twitter.com/eeodm3I533

— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) May 10, 2025

New: A review of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s senior thesis by The Daily Princetonian, in consultation with three experts on plagiarism, found eight instances of uncredited material, sham paraphrasing, and verbatim copying. Reporting by Sena Chang.https://t.co/NxxDCsZjWo

— The Daily Princetonian (@princetonian) May 10, 2025