Rep. Anna Paulina Luna targets press while on House Oversight Committee

Jan. 7, 2026 | U.S. representative moves to subpoena journalist, recommends criminal probe

Jan. 7, 2026 | U.S. representative moves to subpoena journalist, recommends criminal probe

On Jan. 7, 2026, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a motion for the House Oversight Committee to subpoena journalist Seth Harp after he reported on the identity of an Army commander allegedly involved in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

“I have made a motion to subpoena Seth Harp before Congress to face accountability for leaking classified intel about Operation Absolute Resolve, including doxxing a Delta Force commander,” Luna wrote on social media alongside a clip of her making the motion. “The media has gotten away with too much for too long and I’m sick of it. Bring him in.”

In a statement about his Jan. 4 post, Harp said he had shared a photo and publicly available biography of an officer he identified as the commander of Delta Force, which was central to the Venezuelan operation the previous day. Administrators for the social platform X locked his account and required him to delete the post and others before permitting him to log back in.

He also denied the allegations that he had doxxed the officer, calling them “ludicrous.”

“I had posted the publicly available, online bio of a Delta Force commander, a full-bird colonel, whose identity is not classified and which anyone skilled at FOIA can ascertain. In no way did I ‘doxx’ the officer,” he wrote, specifying that his post contained no personally identifying information about the officer or his family. “What I posted is still online on Duke University’s website for all the world to see."

In a Jan. 7 post on social media, Luna — who chairs the Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets — accused Harp of not only doxxing the commander but also leaking classified information about the Venezuela mission, Operation Absolute Resolve.

“Putting a service member and their family in danger is dishonorable and feckless,” she wrote. She also announced that her motion to subpoena Harp passed unanimously.

“Leaking classified information demands explanation and a criminal investigation. Seth Harp will be held accountable for his actions,” Luna added.

Harp could not be reached as of publication. He told the Columbia Journalism Review in an interview published Jan. 14 that the subpoena has not been issued.

“Subpoenas for journalists are extremely rare and often walked back,” he said. “The committee still has the opportunity to do the right thing and either not serve the subpoena, not enforce it, or vote to rescind it.

“If instead they insist on hauling me before Congress, I will use the forum to defend the freedom of the press, condemn the entitled culture of secrecy around extralegal military units like Delta Force, and call attention to the systemic problems in the Special Forces at Fort Bragg.”

Luna also announced Jan. 8 that she had referred Harp to the Justice Department for investigation and potential criminal charges. “I look forward to the results of a very thorough investigation and the potential filing of charges for violations of multiple U.S. codes,” she wrote.