Kristina Wong, a correspondent for the far-right Breitbart News who has publicly glorified the January 6, 2021 insurrection, was appointed chief spokesperson for the Department of the Navy, where she will also serve as Director of Communications for Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan.
In a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, Phelan announced her appointment.
Social media users including journalists and commentators raised concerns over Wong's old Jan. 6 posts from the Capitol where she appeared to cheer on the rioters who stormed the state building.
ALSO READ: Jan. 6 defendant caught with child porn argues Trump’s pardon should include that too
Defense One reporter Meghann Myers wrote, "It should be noted that it’s pretty unusual for a service secretary to have a civilian PAO. They are usually O-6s."
Content creator Peston Steward shared a screenshot of Wong mocking him with an insulting image and wrote, "Would not have guessed a few months ago that this person was about to become the official Navy spokesperson."
Capitol Hunters, an account dedicated to sharing information about Jan 6. insurrectionists, posted a thread with screenshots of Wong's old X posts in which she appeared to celebrate the Capitol attack while covering it for her news outlet.
"Her worst post might be this one: she flippantly captioned a video of people attacking the North Doors: 'Things got a lil sporty here'. To her it was a joke," the account said.
ALSO READ: 'Desperate': Ex-White House staffer rips Miller for saying J6ers were denied 'due process'
Earlier this month, CBS reported that Wong is under consideration to become the chief spokesperson for Phelan.
The CBS report pointed out that Wong filed a story for Breitbart on April 15 on the removal of Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But Wong's article failed to mention that she was under consideration for a role at the Pentagon while serving as a Pentagon correspondent for Breitbart, violating standard ethical practices in journalism.
Jim LaPorta, the CBS reporter who wrote the story, also took to X and said, "The Navy Secretary just confirmed my @CBSNews scoop from last week which means while actively covering the Pentagon as a reporter for a news outlet, Wong was interviewing for a role at the Pentagon which was not disclosed to readers of her publication."
ALSO READ: 'Get your weapon!' Violent MAGA man launches run for Congress