U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Senate hearing, demanded that he show a Combat Action Badge, revealed that he lied about combat experience and referred him for a "stolen valor" investigation.
In early May 2026, a rumor circulated online that U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst exposed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for "stolen valor" during a Senate hearing by asking him to show his Combat Action Badge, causing him to allegedly sit silently for 73 seconds before admitting he had never been in combat.
One YouTube video (archived) spreading the rumor was titled "Joni Ernst (Iraq Combat Vet) DESTROYS Hegseth: 'Show Me Your Combat Action Badge' | He FROZE."
Its narration claimed Ernst pulled out her own Combat Action Badge during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, challenged Hegseth to produce his and then accused him of falsely claiming combat experience. The video also alleged Hegseth's official service record showed no combat badge and that Ernst moved to refer him to the Defense Department inspector general for potential Stolen Valor Act violations.
Other versions of the claim appeared on Threads, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X, and Snopes readers contacted us to ask whether the rumor was true.
However, the story was fictional and showed signs of being generated with artificial intelligence. We found no evidence Ernst asked Hegseth to show a Combat Action Badge, accused him of "stolen valor" or referred him to the Defense Department...
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