Hegseth Is Using the DoD as a Personal Favor Factory

Dear Representative, I am writing to request that Congress investigate the use of U.S. military assets in connection with entertainer Robert Ritchie, known publicly as Kid Rock, and the role Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has played in facilitating that access. The facts are not in dispute. On April 28, 2026, Kid Rock flew to Fort Belvoir and rode in Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters alongside Secretary Hegseth. This followed a March incident in which Army helicopters from the 101st Airborne Division conducted flights near Kid Rock’s private Tennessee residence — flights that also passed over a civilian protest in Nashville. The Army opened an investigation and suspended the pilots involved. Secretary Hegseth then personally intervened, reversed those suspensions, and shut the investigation down. Several serious questions remain unanswered: — Under what statutory authority was a civilian entertainer granted access to Army attack aircraft? Army Regulation 95-1 and DoD Directive 4515.3 restrict Army aircraft to official purposes and authorized passengers. Was any waiver issued? If so, by whom, under what authority, and at whose request? — Who bears the cost? Apache operations are not cheap. Fuel costs for these aircraft have risen over 55% due to ongoing operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Taxpayers should know what this access cost and whether any reimbursement is required or planned. — Why was the prior investigation terminated? The Army initiated a review for good reason. The Secretary of Defense intervening personally to end that review — and restore the suspended pilots — before its conclusion warrants independent scrutiny. — What was discussed in the Pentagon briefing room? Secretary Hegseth posted images of Kid Rock addressing service members inside Pentagon facilities. The subject of that address has not been disclosed. The public has a right to know how the Department of Defense is using its own briefing rooms and who is being granted a platform there. The Pentagon has framed these activities as community relations tied to America’s 250th anniversary. That framing does not resolve the questions above. Promotional content for a private concert tour is not a defense mission. Access to military hardware should not be a perk extended to political allies. I ask that the relevant oversight committees demand a full accounting: the cost, the authorization chain, the legal basis, and the circumstances under which Secretary Hegseth terminated an active Army investigation. These are not partisan questions. They are basic accountability questions. Respectfully,