GOP Subpoena of Journalist: Rights Groups Respond

“The subpoena has few parallels or precedents in recent history,” the groups said in defense of journalist Seth Harp.

Washington — Over 20 press freedom groups are condemning a congressional subpoena issued to journalist Seth Harp, author of a recently published book detailing alleged crimes within the U.S. military’s most secretive units. The groups allege Congress is attempting to stifle scrutiny of the military, particularly as the current administration navigates complex international relations.

Congressional Subpoena Sparks First Amendment Concerns

Last week, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena Harp following a post on X featuring a photograph and biography of a Delta Force commander. Harp asserted the commander was involved in the U.S.’s alleged illegal abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Harp’s 2025 book, The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces, focuses heavily on alleged abuses within Delta Force, an elite U.S. special operations unit.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) accused Harp of “doxing” the commander and potentially leaking “classified information.” Republicans reached an agreement with Representative Robert Garcia (D-California), the Oversight Committee’s ranking member, to issue the subpoena to Harp, alongside subpoenas for two co-executors of the estate of Jeffrey Epstein. Luna stated in a post on X: “Seth Harp will be held accountable for his actions.”

In a letter addressed to House leaders, the press freedom groups are urging Congress to rescind the subpoena.

“The subpoena has few parallels or precedents in recent history and poses a grave danger to the First Amendment’s guarantee of press freedom,” stated the groups, which include the American Civil Liberties Union, PEN America, and Reporters Sans Frontières.

Journalist Defends Reporting, Cites Publicly Available Information

Harp stated last week that the accusations of doxing were “ludicrous,” explaining that the information he shared was publicly accessible, sourced from Duke University’s website. He reported that X temporarily locked his account, requiring him to delete the posts to regain access.

“If you serve in the U.S. military, your personnel documents are public records, as they should be. Because I served in the Army myself, anyone can obtain my records, which show the units in which I served. Nothing exempts Delta Force from this basic transparency,” Harp said.

“Every civilian official and military officer in the American chain of command who participated in this outrageously illegal and provocative act of war — which a supermajority of Americans oppose — is the legitimate subject of journalistic scrutiny, and X has no business censoring my timely and accurate reporting,” Harp added.

The press freedom groups argued that even if the information Harp posted was classified, his actions would be legally protected under the rights afforded to journalists reporting on classified material, referencing the case of Julian Assange.

Chip Gibbons, Policy Director for Defending Rights & Dissent, called the subpoena “shameful” in a statement. Defending Rights & Dissent led the effort to draft the letter to House leaders.

“Representative Luna’s subpoena of investigative reporter Seth Harp is clearly designed to chill and intimidate a journalist doing some of the most significant investigative reporting on U.S. Special Forces,” Gibbons said. “Her own statement makes clear that far from having a valid legislative purpose, she seeks to hold a journalist ‘accountable’ for what is essentially reporting she dislikes.”

What constitutes “doxing”? Doxing, short for “document dropping,” is the act of publicly revealing someone’s personal information—such as their home address, phone number, or workplace—without their consent.