Pete Hegseth in hot water: Pentagon boss told to shape up or face the axe, sources say

Time of India

12 hours ago

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been warned in private to change his behavior or he could be removed from his job. The warning came after a series of scandals involving Hegseth that have embarrassed the Pentagon and the White House.
One major controversy started when Hegseth fired three Pentagon staffers this spring — Darin Selnick, Dan Caldwell, and Colin Carroll — accusing them of leaking information, but without offering solid proof, say Politico sources.
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Officials inside and outside the Pentagon were so concerned, they held an 'intervention' with Hegseth. White House officials and aides to Vice President JD Vance even began their own investigation to find out if the fired staffers were actually responsible for leaks — but they found no evidence.
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Hegseth's team couldn't provide any clear proof that the three men leaked anything, which made the situation worse. A person close to Hegseth told Politico, 'There's going to be more shoes to drop all around,' suggesting more problems or scandals might come out soon.
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More scandals keep coming
Another major scandal involved a Signal group chat, where members of the Trump administration, including Hegseth, discussed plans to bomb Houthi rebel targets in Yemen. The Signal chat accidentally included Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, who was not supposed to be there, which made the situation even more embarrassing, as stated by Politico report.
Hegseth also reportedly tried to stop U.S. military aid from reaching Ukraine, even though that decision was not his to make. President Trump later reversed Hegseth's decision and pretended he didn't know who had stopped the aid, even though Hegseth was sitting right next to him during a press interaction.
Last week, the Daily Mail reported that several Pentagon officials now want Hegseth to be removed because of all the controversies. The Washington Post also reported that the Signal chat included messages that may have contained classified U.S. government information, which could lead to serious consequences, as per the report by Politico.
Some people close to Hegseth are now urging him to apologize to the three aides he fired, in hopes of calming down the crisis. One source told Politico: 'If there's any chance of Pete resetting and ensuring that whatever time he has left in this position is well served, he's got to. Otherwise Pete is just doubling down on the lie.'
White House still supports him
According to the reports, despite everything, the White House and Pentagon are still standing by Hegseth, and have not taken steps to remove him yet, multiple outlets confirm. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told the Daily Beast that under Trump and Hegseth, military recruitment is breaking records and that Hegseth is 'reviving the warrior ethos' and putting 'America First.'
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White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told the Daily Beast that President Trump has 'full confidence' in Hegseth, and praised his leadership of the Department of Defense. Kelly also highlighted that Hegseth played a 'critical role' in Operation Midnight Hammer, a military mission that bombed Iranian military targets.
She said Hegseth is prioritizing warfighters, eliminating terrorists, and restoring 'common sense' to the U.S. military. However, not everyone agrees with the praise — one anonymous critic told Politico: 'If they want to give Pete a pass—fine. Because at the end of the day, he's going to keep f---ing up.' Vice President JD Vance's office did not respond when The Daily Beast reached out for a comment on the situation, as per the report by Politico.
FAQs
Q1. Why is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth facing calls to be fired?
Pete Hegseth is facing calls to be fired because of scandals involving wrongful firings, secret chats leaking information, and blocking military aid without proof.
Q2. Is the White House still supporting Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary?
Yes, the White House says it has full confidence in Pete Hegseth and supports his leadership despite the controversies.