A top aide for United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reportedly told colleagues last year that he and Hegseth left a hotel to go drinking while disguised.
According to the New York Post, Ricky Buria claimed that he and Hegseth snuck out of the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City, Va., and went to a bar in early 2025. However, Buria — who previously worked in the Joe Biden administration — did not provide details on the disguises or the bar.
Neither Hegseth nor the White House had commented on the Post’s report as of publication. Buria also had not addressed the allegations.
Members of the Trump administration told the Post that they believe Buria spread the story in an attempt to find potential leakers. Hegseth had previously said that he would not drink a “drop of alcohol” following past accusations of intoxicated behavior.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s top aide Ricky Buria told colleagues last year that he and his boss donned disguises and went out drinking together — a juicy bit of gossip that’s widely believed to be a lie and recklessly planted to sniff out leakers, The Post has… pic.twitter.com/JtPRvgm3wp
— 0️⃣BlackBetty ⚓️ (@BabyD1111229) April 3, 2026
“My first impression of it was he was trying to figure out if I was going to tell other people,” one source told the Post. “But then I come to find out a couple months later that he was running around telling people.
The source added, “It was a weird way of him bragging. It was clearly part of this whole bizarre effort to make it seem like he was Pete’s best friend and confidant.”
In addition to the drinking-related allegations, Hegseth also previously faced accusations of financial mismanagement and sexual misconduct. There have been no reports of Hegseth doing either since assuming his position in January 2025, and Buria seemingly did not reference either while speaking with colleagues.
President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, came under fire during his confirmation hearing as Democrats voiced deep concern about his inexperience, alleged drunkenness and past opposition to women in combat https://t.co/bCXZwR2FAA pic.twitter.com/nb0LjlUHx7
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 15, 2025
One source said that Buria claimed in April 2025 that nearly three bottles of Macallan whisky were consumed on that trip before sharing the hotel story.
“[Buria] said, ‘Yeah, hey look, I’m just there to make sure he’s protected, and he doesn’t get in any sort of trouble, and people don’t recognize him,’” the source explained.
The Hegseth report comes amid various changes in the Donald Trump administration. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was reassigned last month and became the first Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin officially replaced Noem on March 24.
Trump announced on Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi would also be reassigned to a to-be-announced private sector role. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is the interim attorney general, though Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin could reportedly be a possible long-term replacement.
Hegseth, who turns 46 in June, previously worked at Fox News and advised Trump before joining the administration following the 2024 election. There is no indication that Trump intends to replace Hegseth.
