A senior Pentagon official has been placed on administrative leave after undercover footage showed him discussing U.S. nuclear launch protocols, chemical weapons research, and U.S. military plans targeting Iran’s new supreme leader, all during what he believed were private dinner dates.
Andrew Hugg, identified as a Chief of Chemical and Nuclear Surety for the U.S. Army, was recorded by O’Keefe Media Group across multiple meetings at a public restaurant. The footage, released April 21, 2026, captures Hugg offering detailed explanations of classified procedures to a woman he did not know was an undercover reporter.
On nuclear command, Hugg described the system’s immediacy in stark terms. “We’re literally trained, this is serious, we are always trained, if a Girl Scout gives you a message, a launch message, if it passes all the checks, go,” he said.
Hugg also described U.S. chemical weapons capabilities, claiming active Sarin research at a facility in Aberdeen, Maryland. “Nerve agent is a chemical weapon. It kills that enzyme. Your lungs won’t work. Your heart won’t work. Nothing will work. But we have it here. It’s here in Maryland,” Hugg said. He further alleged that safety protocols at the site had been violated, describing an incident in which a researcher entered a lab wearing casual clothing instead of protective gear. “She just wore crocs and her own clothes. It soaked through her skin. People would touch a door and then people would die,” he claimed.
Regarding Iran, Hugg indicated that U.S. strikes on senior Iranian leadership remained under active consideration. “If he doesn’t change his ways, then yeah, they’re gonna kill him,” he said, referring to Mojtaba Khamenei, son of and likely successor to the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Hugg also made unverified claims about U.S. foreign aid sent to Ukraine during the Obama administration. “They stole our money. They bought houses, cars. They don’t care about the people,” he said, adding that when he tried to report the alleged misappropriation, he was told it would “make Obama look bad.”
During the conversations, Hugg showed some awareness that his disclosures carried risk, asking at one point, “You’re not spying, you’re not spying though right?” He later remarked, “The easiest way to get intelligence is just like send a pretty girl to talk to the guy.”
The Army responded within hours of the footage going public. Spokesperson Cynthia O. Smith confirmed Hugg had been placed on administrative leave pending a full investigation. He was escorted from his workplace and removed his professional social media presence after the release.
