After Saturday’s pre-dawn military operation that successfully apprehended deposed Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, a left-wing “journalist” desperate for relevance decided to do something truly reckless: attempt to out the commander of Delta Force, the elite U.S. unit that planned and carried out the mission.
Yes, instead of focusing on the removal of a narco-dictator, this activist with a press badge thought the real story was endangering American lives by exposing one of the most secretive military leaders on the planet. It was a stunning display of narcissism, irresponsibility, and contempt for national security—apparently all in service of clout and clicks.
Self-styled “investigative reporter” Seth Harp rushed to X to publish an official photograph and identifying details of a U.S. service member he claimed was the commander of the uber-elite military unit:
Last night Harp, whose writings have been sharply critical of the U.S. Army, turned his social media attention to Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela. Rather than analyze the operation itself, Harp focused on the men who carried it out.
In a now-deleted post on X, Harp published what he claimed was the official Army photograph of the Delta Force commander involved in the raid. His caption read:
“This is the current commander of Delta Force, whose men just invaded a sovereign country, killed a bunch of innocent people, and kidnapped the rightful president.”
In the same thread, Harp stated that publishing such information – even information he described as classified – was “perfectly legal.”
Here’s the now-deleted tweet, minus the photo:
This is par for the course with leftist journalists. Drunk on their own sense of moral superiority, they convince themselves that anything they do is justified, no matter how reckless, unethical, or outright dangerous. Advancing the preferred narrative and basking in self-applause always comes first—professional standards and basic journalistic integrity be damned.
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Harp claimed in his post that, “It’s perfectly legal for a US reporter to disclose classified material the leakage of which I did not procure.”
What in the world does that even mean? If you didn’t “procure” the information, then you also didn’t bother to vet it, verify it, or confirm its accuracy. That’s not journalism—that’s recklessness wrapped in self-importance. Harp clearly has an unhealthy obsession with Delta Force, having already tried to cash in on the unit with his so-called New York Times “bestseller,” an exposé he now claims HBO is turning into a television series. And as if that weren’t enough, alongside his doxing of a Delta Force commander on X, Harp pompously referred to the successful military strike as an “abduction,” sneering at the operation while putting an American service member at risk for clout.
Actually, Seth, your new buddy Maduro stole an election, ran drugs to the U.S. and Europe, and brutalized his people. But you be you.
Harp may also want to reconsider using the “investigative reporter” label in his bio. A basic review of the purportedly classified material he posted on X would have shown that the service member he identified was not the commander of Operation Absolute Resolve and was not in Venezuela on Saturday. The original post drew significant criticism, particularly from military members and veterans, who blasted him.
Right? If this commander leads a top-notch team of military specialists, then the criticism from X commentators regarding your poor analysis is the least of your concerns.
Harp appeared unable to withstand either the backlash or requests for comment from legitimate outlets such as Soldier of Fortune, and subsequently locked down his X account. The episode was a familiar reminder that online outrage operates much the same way regardless of political alignment. Commenters circulated contact information for Viking Books, which published his “bestselling” book, and for HBO, which reportedly holds the screen rights to his novel. Amplified by X’s own algorithm, the pressure escalated, and Harp was ultimately locked out of his account, likely for violating the platform’s terms of service. Harp later claimed he deleted the offending posts, along with others tied to what he described as his “critical inquiry” into Saturday’s operation.
What a loss for journalism.
On Monday, Harp resurfaced on X with his account restored and responded as expected: by blaming “fascist” elements of the far right for what he called “ludicrous” allegations of doxxing:
Yesterday, X admins locked my account and required me to delete certain posts in order to log back in. No explanation was given, but 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. I did not post any personally identifying information about him, such as his birthday, social security number, home address, phone number, email address, the names of his family members, or pictures of his house. What I posted is still online on Duke University’s website for all the world to see.
If you serve in the US military, your personnel documents are public records, as they should be. Because I served in the Army myself, anyone can obtain my records, which shows the units in which I served. Nothing exempts Delta Force from this transparency.
It is notable that Harp places himself in the same category as the allegedly coked-out ne’er-do-wells he routinely condemns, then attempts to rationalize his conduct by posting information about deceased members of Delta Force. He follows this, predictably, by retreating to his familiar “greater good” justification:
To illustrate these points, I also posted the records of deceased special operators, obtained through FOIA, that specifically say “Delta Force” on them, unredacted. In the spirit of fairness, I also posted my own service record. X required me to delete these posts, too.
Nothing about this should distract from the larger issue: Delta Force, acting on President Trump’s unlawful orders, which contravened every principle of international law and sovereignty, as well as the Congress’s prerogative to declare war, invaded Venezuela, killed scores of Venezuelans who posed no threat to the United States, and kidnapped the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, as well as his wife.
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.
What war, exactly? And where is this supposed “supermajority of Americans”? The rhetoric reads like a reheated version of that Seditious Six video those dimwitted senators and representatives recorded a few months ago. If Harp’s reporting is truly as “timely and accurate” as he claims, he should have no trouble publishing it in the outlets he routinely cites when listing his credentials.
Harp can offer whatever justifications he likes, but the pattern is clear: this has little to do with scrutiny, accuracy, or exposing the truth. It has everything to do with a personal vendetta and a desire for attention. Harp isn’t acting as a reporter here—he’s playing the role of a crisis actor, shamelessly self-promoting along the way. Soldier of Fortune reached the same conclusion, and it’s right on:
Soldier of Fortune never has argued that military operations should be immune from scrutiny. But there is a difference between analyzing a mission and exposing the identity of an elite operator. The former is journalism. The latter departs from long-established standards of professional restraint. In national security, the consequences of that exposure do not disappear when a post is deleted.
But here’s the thing: Consequences go both ways. I don’t have any special insider knowledge, but I’m betting karma isn’t done with Seth Harp.
