The video, posted by activist James O’Keefe, appears to show the official discussing a player’s religion and the team’s relationship with the Trump administration.
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The Washington Nationals have fired a team official after a hidden-camera conversation that appeared to show him discussing internal team business, including a player’s religion and the franchise’s relationship with the Trump administration, was posted on social media, The Washington Post confirmed.
The video was posted by the O’Keefe Media Group, founded in 2023 by conservative political activist James O’Keefe. He previously founded Project Veritas, which has been accused of using deceptive editing in videos. In 2024, a Washington Commanders executive was fired after an undercover video posted by the O’Keefe Media Group showed him making derogatory comments about players and fans.
The O’Keefe Media Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the video shared this week, Sean Hudson, the Nationals’ director of community relations, appears to allege that the Nationals have banned their staff from posting pitcher Trevor Williams on their social media page because of his religious beliefs and discusses the team’s relationship with defense contractors and alleged efforts to pander to President Donald Trump.
The Post could not immediately reach Hudson for comment. In a statement this week, the Nationals said that the team was aware of the comments, which were recorded and posted without Hudson’s knowledge, and that they do not comment on personnel matters.
“The statements are not only factually incorrect, but do not reflect the views, opinions or actions of the Washington Nationals,” the statement said. “The Nationals are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for our players, fans and staff, and we vehemently deny any allegations to the contrary.”
On the Nationals’ pregame show Friday, President of Baseball Operations Jason Sinnarajah said that the organization is “horrified by the comments made on the video. The comments don’t reflect us as an organization, our values and who we are. We took action right away, and the individual is no longer employed by the team.”
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In the video, Hudson appears to say the Nationals do not include Williams, a devout Catholic, on their team social media after he criticized the Dodgers for inviting a group to their Pride Night that he said mocked his religion. The team said that this is not true and that Williams has been featured. Hudson, who oversaw military relations, was not involved in social media decisions.
Williams is on the injured list after undergoing Tommy John surgery in July. Sinnarajah apologized to Williams, saying that he feels “awful that he’s been dragged into this situation and hope this hasn’t been a distraction as he gets ready to get back on the field.”
Williams has not commented publicly on the video and was not made available to media on Friday. On his Instagram page Friday, he posted a passage from the Bible and wrote that he is “closer than ever to getting back onto the mound at Nationals Park — and I cannot wait.”
Hudson also appeared to say in the video that the team must pander to Trump so that he doesn’t slash the sports and entertainment budget for D.C., and that the team hosts Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to generate more business for the franchise.
“We are trying to use baseball to make money,” Hudson said. “A lot of that is defense contractors, the Palantirs of the world.”
Among his other comments, Hudson appeared to say that the team had a debate over whether to model the Captain America bobblehead after Anthony Mackie, who is Black, or Chris Evans, who is White.
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