Pentagon Removes Two Hegseth Aides Amid Leak Probe

Two senior aides to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been placed on administrative leave and escorted from the Pentagon as part of an expanding investigation into unauthorized disclosures of sensitive national security information. The removals mark a significant escalation in the Department of Defense’s efforts to identify sources of recent leaks that have compromised sensitive military planning information.

Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, the secretary’s deputy chief of staff, were both removed from their positions this week, according to defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity. Their sudden departures have created turmoil within Hegseth’s inner circle and raised questions about operational security at the highest levels of the Pentagon.

Source: Gage Skidmore/Pete Hegseth/WikimediaCommons

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The Signal Chat That Started It All

The investigation appears connected to a March memo issued by Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, which called for a probe into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications.” According to Yahoo News, the directive even authorized the use of polygraph tests to identify potential leakers.

The memo was released shortly after a high-profile security lapse involving Hegseth himself. Last month, The Atlantic reported that its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat where Trump administration officials, including Hegseth, discussed plans for U.S. military strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

In that group chat, Hegseth reportedly identified Caldwell as the Pentagon’s primary contact for coordinating the military strikes—information that was not intended for public disclosure. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz accidentally added Goldberg to the conversation, resulting in the sensitive discussions becoming known to the journalist.

Hegseth has vehemently denied that the information shared in the group chat contained classified material, declaring, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.” However, former defense officials have noted that operational details of the kind reportedly discussed typically require the highest security protocols.

Investigating Multiple High-Profile Leaks

The scope of the leak investigation extends beyond the Signal chat incident. A defense official told media outlets that investigators are examining disclosures related to military plans in the Panama Canal, the deployment of a second carrier to the Red Sea, Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon in March, and the pausing of intelligence aid to Ukraine.

These leaks have potentially compromised sensitive national security information and strategic planning, creating significant concerns within the defense establishment about operational security under Hegseth’s leadership.

“This is a big deal. Caldwell was integral to the Pentagon/admin’s Ukraine policy, especially when it came to discussions around continued military support for Kyiv,” noted Reuters correspondent Erin Banco, as reported by Newsweek.

Veterans with Close Ties to Hegseth

Both suspended officials have longstanding connections to Hegseth through their work at Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), a nonprofit organization that Hegseth led from 2013 to 2016 while also serving in the Army National Guard.

“Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran, previously worked with Hegseth at Concerned Veterans for America,” reports the Daily Herald. “Selnick, an Air Force veteran, worked as a senior adviser at CVA from 2019 to 2024.”

Since joining the Pentagon, both men had been given significant responsibilities. Caldwell handled various foreign policy issues, particularly related to Ukraine, while Selnick issued several public statements concerning the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal workforce.

Potential Criminal Prosecution Looms

The language in Kasper’s memo suggests that criminal charges could be forthcoming for those found responsible for unauthorized disclosures. The directive stated that Kasper wanted to be “informed immediately if this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure, and that such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution.”

It remains unclear whether Caldwell or Selnick have been referred for prosecution or if their cases are being handled administratively at this point. Efforts by various news organizations to reach both men have been unsuccessful, and the Pentagon has declined to provide specific details about the ongoing investigation.

The suspensions come amid broader turmoil at the Pentagon under Hegseth’s leadership. In the three months since taking office, the defense secretary has overseen the removal of close to a dozen senior military leaders, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Navy’s top admiral, both of whom he had previously criticized for their focus on diversity initiatives.

As one official acknowledged to the Daily Herald, the investigation could potentially expand further, noting that Caldwell and Selnick might be “the only government officials targeted in the inquiry for now,” but leaving open the possibility that “the purge could widen.”

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