Ricky Buria, a top adviser for President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, is in the social media hot seat over allegations that the embattled administration insider was intoxicated at work.
A Pentagon interview with Buria and One America News Network host Matt Gaetz started making the rounds online after viewers couldn’t stop replaying the clip, locking in on slurred speech and long, uneasy pauses from Hegseth’s acting chief of staff.
In the clip posted on Dec. 8, Buria was questioned about a hot-button issue following more than a dozen incidents involving the military’s weapon system over the past seven years.
“What percentage of the [Lockheed Martin Lightning II F-35 stealth fighter jets] are fully mission capable today?” Gaetz, 43, asked.
Buria responded, “That’s a great question, Matt. I appreciate you getting after it, because it’s not enough – not enough. It is the most capable fighter that we have right now.”
The context of Buria’s answer was less relevant to many viewers than the way he delivered the words. As the video spread across the internet, people began wondering if the Marine Corps veteran had a few alcoholic drinks before speaking with Gaetz.
“Pete Hegseth’s acting Chief of Staff Ricky Buria appears to have taken a page from his boss’s book — appearing totally drunk in this interview with Matt Gaetz,” one person posted on X in reaction to Buria’s OANN appearance.
Even before landing his position as Defense chief in January 2025, Hegseth, 45, was accused of having a drinking problem. Reports surfaced in December 2024 that claimed the former “Fox & Friends” television host often smelled like alcohol before going on air.
Buria’s on-screen interaction with Gaetz also sparked accusations that he was possibly under the influence at that moment. For instance, one X user declared, “Wow… he does sound drunk… lol.”
“This guy is six whiskeys past his third. Sloshed 100 percent,” another Buria tormentor tweeted about the Princeton University graduate. In contrast, a Buria defender posted, “That may just be the way he talks normally… I’m not sure that that proves anything.”
Over on Threads, the conversation continued with more people suggesting the Defense Department official sounded inebriated. One post read, “Yep… he’s wasted.” Likewise, someone added, “I can smell that toxicity through the screen.”
As of this writing, there is no confirmation that Buria was actually wasted inside the Pentagon. Even if the whispers of public drunkenness are overblown, he has still faced widespread scrutiny for his alleged involvement in the Signalgate scandal.
Buria has also reportedly been involved in a behind-the-scenes dispute between the Pentagon and the White House, partially stemming from the fact that the high-ranking member of Hegseth’s inner circle was unable to secure the chief of staff position permanently.
“When the Fake News Media has nothing to report to the American people, they resort [to] blog posting about water cooler gossip to meet their quota for clicks,” a Pentagon spokesperson stated about the apparent intra-administration conflict. “This kind of nonsense won’t distract our team from our mission.”
Buria’s supervisor found himself in the middle of a media firestorm in recent weeks over the controversial American military strikes on alleged “drug boats” in the Caribbean. Hegseth’s role in ordering the military campaign could put him in legal trouble, some experts argue.
