A San Diego congressional candidate ran afoul of Pentagon rules by using his status as a Navy Reserve officer in his campaign, the Navy Reserve inspector general said in an email.
Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar has made his status as a Navy Reserve officer part of his campaign for California's 48th District.
News reports and veterans raised questions about whether Campa-Najjar's use of that status ran afoul of Pentagon regulations last month. Freelance journalist Douglas Aguillard filed a complaint with the Navy Reserve inspector general in early March.
On Wednesday, in an email response to the complaint obtained by KPBS, the inspector general wrote the candidate's chain of command was notified of the complaint and enacted "corrective action."
The email also says more potential violations of Pentagon rules remain on Campa-Najjar's campaign Facebook page, however, and that those concerns were sent to his chain of command Wednesday.
"LTJG Campa-Najjar’s chain of command was notified of your allegations and enacted corrective action," the email to Aguillard, the complainant, reads. "Since chain of command engagement, LTJG Campa-Najjar’s official campaign page’s photos and disclaimer have been edited to comply with DoDD 1344.10."
Pentagon regulations allow reservists to run for office but restrict how they can use their military status and photos.
Department of Defense Directive 1344.10 says reservists "must clearly indicate their retired or reserve status" when referencing their service.
Until late last month, Campa-Najjar's campaign website repeatedly referred to the candidate as a "Navy Officer" — omitting his status in the Navy Reserve. It also prominently featured photos of him in uniform.
The website was updated after KPBS contacted the campaign for comment on March 23, but posts on Campa-Najjar's social media with similar photos and verbiage remained public.
The inspector general referred those posts to his chain of command, the email says.
"...there is content on the subject’s campaign Facebook page that warrants further scrutiny by his Navy Reserve chain of command," the email says. "Therefore, these remaining social media concerns were referred to Commander, Navy Reserve Forces Command ... on 22 April 2026 for action deemed appropriate."
The Navy Reserve confirmed the content of the email Thursday but declined to comment further.
The inspector general's email does not say when the chain of command first contacted Campa-Najjar. In response to KPBS questions about updates to his web site, Campa-Najjar's campaign emailed a statement on March 24 saying the Navy hadn’t requested changes.
"Ammar has been compliant with DoD directives on permissible political activity," said Campa-Najjar's campaign manager Andi McNew. "While the Navy has not requested any changes be made, the campaign is happy to include additional details of Ammar's service to the nation."
Documentation provided by Campa-Najjar on Thursday shows he was contacted by a Navy judge advocate general about his campaign March 25.
By March 27, he was told his website was "spot on" within regulations, Campa-Najjar told KPBS.
He said he hasn't been told anything by his chain of command about what issues there may be on his campaign Facebook page.
Campa-Najjar said it's common for candidates to include information about military service in their campaigns — sometimes outside regulations but often without the same level of scrutiny he's experienced.
"It's common practice and we should all be held to the same standard," Campa-Najjar said.
Campa-Najjar also took issue with a prior KPBS report on the Navy "looking into" his campaign, saying the headline implied he was under investigation.
"At no point was there any mention of an investigation to me or anyone in the press," Campa-Najjar said. "Anyone who makes that statement is either misled or intentionally trying to mislead others."
The use of the the phrase "looking into" in that story headline came directly from an email sent to KPBS from a Navy Reserve spokesperson.
He said what's important to him is being honest.
"If there's any additional requests for updates I'm happy to do those because I care about getting things right," Campa-Najjar said.
The Campa-Najjar campaign also updated its official candidate statement last month with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters after a rival campaign complained about the language, emails and documents provided to KPBS show.
Campa-Najjar originally listed his occupation as "U.S. Navy Officer" and "College Educator."
The updated statement says "U.S. Navy Reserve Officer/College Educator."
Campa-Najjar joined the Navy Reserves in 2023 via a direct commission — a selective and unusual way into uniform that allows certain professionals to bypass Officer Candidate School.
Campa-Najjar ran unsuccessfully for public office three times prior to joining the Navy Reserve — twice for Congress in 2018 and 2020 and then for Chula Vista mayor in 2022.
