CPJ calls on U.S. House Committee to drop Seth Harp subpoena

Washington, D.C., January 13, 2026– The Committee to Protect Journalist calls on the U.S. House Oversight Committee to drop its subpoena of investigative journalist Seth Harp and calls on the Justice Department to refrain from pursuing criminal charges against Harp in relation to his work. 

Harp published to X a photograph and biography of an officer he reported was the commander of the U.S. Army’s Delta Force unit, which was reported to have played a key role in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Following the January 4 post, Harp’s X account was locked, and he was required to delete certain posts in order to log back in, he said in a statement on X. 

“When Congress subpoenas journalists in connection with their work, it sends a chilling message that confidential sources are not safe and that speaking to the press carries legal risk,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “This erodes trust, discourages whistleblowers, and ultimately deprives the public of critical information about how power is exercised. In a democracy, journalists must be able to do their jobs and serve the public interest without fear of reprisal, including from Congress or the Justice Department.”

The motion to subpoena Harp was introduced by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who wrote on X that Harp should “face accountability for leaking classified information” about the United States’ capture of Maduro and alleged that the journalist doxxed the commander.

Luna also referred to Harp to the Justice Department for investigation and to pursue criminal charges against the reporter, she wrote on X, posting a copy of the letter she sent to the Attorney General’s office. 

In Harp’s statement on X, he denied doxxing the officer, stating that the information he published would have been obtainable via a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) request. 

The identities of members of special forces, including Delta Force, are highly guarded and kept secret, according to media reports.

Harp has written extensively about the military and recently published a book, “The Fort Bragg Cartel,” about unsolved murders at the key special forces base. His work has also appeared in Harper’s, the New Yorker, The Intercept, and Columbia Journalism Review among others.