A most important advisor to the Secretary of Protection, Pete Hegseth, was escorted on Tuesday of the Pentagon within the context of an investigation into an unauthorized disclosure of delicate info, mentioned American protection official.
Dan Caldwell, who was recognized as a part of an investigation through the leak, was placed on administrative go away, mentioned the supervisor, talking below the duvet of anonymity.
Since arriving at Pentagon with Mr. Hegseth in January, Caldwell has accompanied the protection secretary to a few of his conferences with key overseas leaders. In a sign textual content chain disclosed for the primary time by the Atlantic final month, Mr. Caldwell was listed because the consultant of Mr. Hegseth within the White Home whereas he was making ready to launch strikes in Yemen.
He additionally suggested Mr. HegSeth different key questions associated to American army operations world wide. The investigation into Mr. Caldwell and his withdrawal from the Pentagon had been reported earlier by Reuters.
Mr. Caldwell and Mr. Hegseth have an extended relationship, courting again greater than a decade in direction of their mandate among the many veterans involved for America, a conservative group which has put strain for the reforms of the Veterans Division. Mr. Caldwell, a veteran of the Marine Corps, served in Iraq, however lastly doubted the knowledge of the warfare.
“I feel that the warfare in Iraq was a monstrous crime,” Caldwell instructed Monetary Occasions in December 2024. Hegseth expressed related warfare reserves.
Caldwell beforehand labored for protection priorities, a mirrored image group that put strain for a extra restricted American overseas coverage and was deeply skeptical in regards to the American dedication within the Center East and help for Ukraine.
Mr. Caldwell’s positions have been a supply of debate inside his personal republican social gathering, which stays divided between those that argue that the American military is overexxious on the planet and the traditionalist republicans who contemplate American energy as central to world stability.
In latest weeks, the Trump administration and the Pentagon have aggressively pursued the flight investigations. In March, Joe Kasper, Mr. Hegseth’s chief of employees, ordered an investigation into unauthorized disclosure of nationwide safety info and instructed that the Pentagon would start to manage polygraphs to senior officers.
Mr. Caldwell didn’t reply to a request for feedback. Pentagon officers refused to touch upon the small print of the investigation.
