Latest news with #SignalGate
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump has Hegseth's back. Some of Hegseth's allies worry it won't last.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired several members of his inner circle this spring, accusing them of leaking, the White House and top allies rallied behind him. Since then, many of those same people have come to privately believe Hegseth's allegations were false. After MAGA heavyweights from Tucker Carlson to Megyn Kelly began interviewing the ousted employees proclaiming their innocence, some White House officials and people close to Vice President JD Vance privately asked for proof of Hegseth's accusations, according to four people familiar with what happened. Hegseth's team indicated they did not have evidence, three of the people said. At least a half-dozen people across senior levels of the administration — including senior White House officials as well as high-ranking individuals at the Pentagon, State Department and in Trump's national security apparatus — have reached out to the fired employees to get their side of the story, according to the same four people. They expressed regret over the situation, and suggested the men — Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll — had been wrongfully accused. To President Donald Trump, it doesn't matter much. When it comes to the embattled secretary, the White House continues to stand by Hegseth. Despite controversy after controversy, bad headline after bad headline, Trump and his inner circle maintain that when it comes to protecting the nation, Hegseth's performance has been solid. The fact that he's still standing — even after appearing to falsely smearing his former friends — shows the lengths to which the president is willing to turn a blind eye to the chaos engulfing the Pentagon for a Cabinet official he's long been enamored with. 'A lot of people swirl shit to try to take him down, honestly — but talk of drama with him is overblown,' as one senior White House official, who like others in this story were granted anonymity to speak frankly about internal dynamics, told me recently. 'What I know is that everyone who matters has his back completely, currently.' There's no denying, however, that the relationship between the Pentagon's leadership suite and the West Wing is complicated. The White House for months has blocked Hegseth from officially naming a man he wants to be chief of staff, Ricky Buria — an aide they have long distrusted and even recently rebuffed from riding on Air Force One (though some Trump advisers say it was a spatial issue). And now, thanks to Hegseth's early firing frenzy — not to mention Signalgate — there are questions among some administration officials about his judgment. More troubling for Hegseth: The drama isn't over. In the past week alone, stories have popped suggesting the Pentagon's watchdog determined messages posted under Hegseth's account during SignalGate included content from classified emails— despite Hegseth's claims otherwise. A reporter at DailyMail intercepted a draft letter from concerned Pentagon employees accusing Hegseth of being unfit to serve. And POLITICO scooped that investigators are scrutinizing two of his closest confidants, a pair of top associates the White House has expressed concern about. 'There's going to be more shoes to drop all around,' said one person close with Hegseth. That's why a handful of Hegseth allies both inside and outside the Pentagon have engaged in something of an intervention with the secretary, according to the four people familiar with the discussions. Concerned that the laundry list of scandals could lead to his downfall, they've implored Hegseth in private conversations to rethink surrounding himself with people the White House distrusts. Others are urging Hegseth to make peace with the former employees he ousted and accused of leaking. A smaller group is even quietly working to help those employees land a public apology or some sort of exoneration of their character. 'If there's any chance at Pete resetting and ensuring that whatever time he has left in this position is well served, he's got to do it — otherwise Pete is just doubling down on the lie,' said the person close to Hegseth. So far, however, he has yet to heed the warning. In a statement, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump 'has full confidence in Secretary Hegseth, who is doing an incredible job leading the DOD.' 'President Trump and the entire White House team are fully behind Secretary Hegseth and every other Cabinet Secretary,' Kelly said. 'We will always fight back against fake news on behalf of the President's team, and that directive comes from the President.' The Pentagon said in a statement that 'Hegseth is laser focused on making our military the most lethal fighting force the world has ever seen.' 'Despite constant attacks from the Fake News Media, Secretary Hegseth's will to keep fighting and put our warfighters first is why our troops continue to endorse his ability to lead by signing up to serve in record numbers,' chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. 'Secretary Hegseth is someone who will carry out the President's agenda no matter what." The three fired aides declined to comment, and Buria did not respond to a request for comment. This story is based on interviews with a dozen White House and Pentagon officials, Trump and Hegseth allies and others familiar with Hegseth's situation and his relationship with the president. They were all granted anonymity to speak candidly about the situation. Hegseth's almost Trumpian staying power is rooted in the president's long-held admiration for him. Down at Mar-a-Lago during the transition last winter, Trump officials had a shortlist of names of potential Defense secretaries for the president. But when Trump scanned through his options, he had a question they didn't anticipate. 'Where's Pete?' he asked, according to a senior administration official who worked on the transition, recounting a now joked-about story. His advisers looked around confused. Pete, who? 'Pete Hegseth,' Trump said, referring to the Fox News star he'd admired over the years. 'I want Pete.' Trump has long admired the energy of the handsome, Princeton-educated Hegseth. During the GOP presidential primaries, when he felt 'Fox and Friends' wasn't giving him enough positive coverage, Hegseth's fawning commentary on the weekend version of 'Fox & Friends' buoyed his mood. A plus: The veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan emanates the 'warrior ethos' masculinity that Trump admires. The president saw him as the perfect messenger for an administration salivating to take a chainsaw to what MAGA viewed as the woke sensibilities of the armed forces. That desire ultimately won out even after Hegseth initially failed to disclose to the transition team that he'd paid a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her as part of a settlement. (He has denied that accusation and was never charged.) And it stayed with Trump throughout the spring when Signalgate erupted. Notably, it was Michael Waltz who took the fall for adding a journalist to the chain. Trump, meanwhile, stood with Hegseth — even as many in the media speculated he was about to get canned. 'Keep fighting — I love what you're doing,' Trump told Hegseth during one meeting amid the controversy, a second White House official recounted. 'Whatever you need. You're a killer.' At the time, I asked one White House official why the administration stood by Hegseth despite the chaos. The answer was simple: Team Trump had put so much political capital in getting him confirmed that it would take a whole lot more dirt to send him packing. The reality is Trump doesn't give a fig about how Hegseth treats his staff, or whether there's an investigation into his use of Signal and classified documents, said one of the White House officials and three outside allies. 'He doesn't care about the palace intrigue stuff — he just doesn't,' said one top ally. 'It's not drama that impacts him or his agenda.' Nowadays, Trump's inner circle gives Hegseth props for the successful execution of Operation Midnight Hammer, the covert U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities and the military's joint-taskforce at the border. They credit him for historic recruitment and boosted morale with the troops who adore him. And they love that he's leading on Trump's desire to build a Golden Dome missile defense system to protect the U.S. Still, there's a dirty little secret that folks in the White House won't voice but their allies on the outside admit: No matter the drama, White House officials have to find a way to work with him because Trump has made clear that Hegseth is not going anywhere. 'The boss loves him — so it's like, 'We'll make it work,'' said one Trump ally close with the inner circle who has been aghast at the headlines. The endless ability to forgive on Hegseth's behalf is particularly acute in the situation regarding the treatment of the fired employees, some who had known Hegseth for more than a decade and worked with him at a previous employer. Hegseth not only publicly harangued them as leakers but mused that his ex-buddies could be prosecuted by the Justice Department. The allegations against those men led to death threats after they were harassed by an online mob. They've had to shell out tens of thousands in lawyer fees trying to determine if they were in legal peril, according to two people familiar with the situation. And they've had to try to rebuild their image after taking a reputational hit from the accusations. 'These guys will have difficulty ever working in Washington again or anywhere across the national security space,' as one Hegseth ally who sympathizes with the employees said. The chain of events at the Pentagon that led to the aides' ouster was ugly — particularly for an agency charged with protecting the nation. As POLITICO first reported at the time, rivalries and jockeying hovered over the defense secretary's inner circle, as senior advisers sought to push out other staff and assert their dominance. Meanwhile, rumors swirled among Hegseth's closest advisers that there was proof of leaking obtained via surveillance of one of the employees' phones — surveillance that actually never occurred, three people familiar with the situation say. Instead of blaming Hegseth for the snafu, some administration officials and people close to the secretary have fingered underlings. They argue Hegseth stayed away from the internal probe because it involved his friends, and he relied on information from people below him, who suggested there was good reason for the firings. 'Pete doesn't run personnel; he runs the military… So if anybody says he bungled this, that just shows profound ignorance,' Hegseth's public hammer and Trump operative Arthur Schwartz told me, growling at my question about whether Hegseth has some responsibility for the bungled firings of those employees. Others familiar with what happened fault Hegseth for turning a private spat into public torment, because he both made the final call to fire the employees, and went public with the leak allegation — even though such suspicions are typically handled via private investigations. Advisers told Hegseth after a day or two to stop calling the men leakers and discussing them on television, according to the person close with Hegseth and another individual familiar with the post-firings dynamics. Earlier this summer, the fired employees were informed by investigators that they were not targets of a probe, according to two people familiar. But the saga isn't over, with some people close to Hegseth, allies of the ex-aides and even some in the Trump administration quietly pushing to clear their names. 'You make right for people you've wronged. You can't identify yourself in the way Pete does as a rediscovered Christian and treat people like this,' said the person close with Hegseth. Since the firings, MAGA World has rallied behind the ousted staffers. Caldwell has been invited on Steve Bannon's show as well as other MAGA-type podcasts and invited to speak at Trump-aligned events. Selnick was recently hired as a senior adviser to an 'America First' veterans group run by one of Hegseth's most vocal defenders during his brutal confirmation fight, Mark Lucas. Still, there's a sense that such moves won't be enough. Some want a public apology from Hegseth himself, though two of the aforementioned people close to the situation say that's unlikely. Others have discussed whether the Defense Department could issue some sort of statement late on a Friday night — enough to clear the men but not cause a huge ruckus for Hegseth. But there's resistance. Someone close to Hegseth said he continues to insist he was in the right in ousting the employees, and that much like Trump, he's not interested in backing down. 'Pete doesn't want to take responsibility or be accountable,' said the person. Any push to clear the men would be 'overshadowed by the importance of not being embarrassed,' the person continued, arguing that Hegseth would look bad for flipflopping on accusations he spat fire about for days. 'What he fears most is the president thinking he doesn't control the building. So the lie has got to uphold.' While American troops appear to love Hegseth, among the senior ranks of the Pentagon, morale continues to drag, according to three of the aforementioned people familiar with the situation, including one actively working in the Pentagon. Hegseth's Pentagon is still rife with infighting that rears its head in the news every few weeks. And all the drama in recent months has caused an atmosphere of paranoia, making people look over their shoulders. 'All anybody has to do is make up an accusation that you've done something illegal with classified information and they have to investigate. They don't need evidence at all,' said one of the people familiar with the situation, who is a Hegseth critic. 'So people in the building are scared to death. If they did that to Pete's closest friends, what's then stopping them from making up a charge against me?' Even the person close with Hegseth shared that sentiment: 'It's like the crème de la crème of dysfunction.' Meanwhile, some Trump allies watching it all from the outside continue to express concern about the headlines they're reading. Hegseth, said one of the aforementioned Trump allies, may be working out with the troops and doing a bunch of feel-good events with soldiers. 'But the question is: how much time should you spend in the building — running it, being an effective leader — rather than being on social media, on TV?' For now, those concerns haven't permeated the upper echelons of the White House. To the contrary, many in Trump's orbit believe Hegseth's critics have it out for him, making them more sympathetic to a fellow Cabinet official they feel is constantly under siege by his haters and the media. 'There are ongoing palace-intrigue attempts by people who frankly don't want him to succeed for reasons that are sort of unrelated to the work of being Secretary of Defense,' said the senior White House official, who declined to elaborate. Still, even that official acknowledged to me that no one in the administration is ever untouchable. And Hegseth's critics say they can be patient. 'If they want to give Pete a pass — fine,' said one of them. 'Because at the end of the day, he's going to keep fucking up.'
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Signalgate changed Pete Hegseth — texting scandal made him angrier, paranoid and paralyzed by fear: report
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become more paranoid, fearful and angry in the wake of the so-called 'Signal-gate' scandal that saw the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic included on a chat platform conversation with top national security officials as a drone strike was underway against Houthi rebels in Yemen, a new report reveals. Six people told New York magazine that Hegseth was noticeably changed by the ordeal. They said he seemed angrier, did not bother to shave as often and seemed afraid to make the wrong decision after Signal-gate. One source said that the Pentagon seemed to stop being 'creative.' Another source said the scandal was 'consuming his whole life' at a time 'when he should have been focused on, you know, our national security.' Hegseth also began to regularly have his personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, and his wife, Jennifer, around, which confused foreign officials. In addition, other news outlets reported that Hegseth had a second group chat going with Parlatore, his wife and his brother and had set up an unsecured internet line in his office. Word of the embarrassing potential breach of national security broke in March, when then-National Security Advisor Michael Waltz added Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, onto a text chain on the messaging app Signal where the Trump administration's national security team discussed striking Houthi targets in Yemen. The scandal immediately put Hegseth--who faced a narrow confirmation in the Senate earlier this year due to his views on women in the military, reports of drinking on the job and allegations of sexual misconduct that he vehemently denied--under heavy scrutiny. In response, Hegseth assailed Goldberg. 'You're talking about a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes time and time again to include the hoaxes of Russia, Russia, Russia,' he said at the time. He said that nobody texted war plans. That led to Goldberg publishing screenshots of the full text messages, which showed that the administration officials had indeed been texting what looked like war plans. Earlier this week, Hegseth appeared on Capitol Hill to answer questions about Trump's deployment of Marines to quell anti-ICE riots and demonstrations in Los Angeles. He also faced aggressive questioning about the US having contingency plans to invade Greenland and Panama. The magazine profiled Hegseth's distress after NBC News reported the story about the plans to 'reclaim' Panama and he told his chief of staff Joseph Kasper that he wanted an investigation. The Pentagon further plunged into disarray when the press reported that the Pentagon had ordered a second carrier into the Red Sea. Hegseth defended the fact that sending troops to Los Angeles cost $134 million. The magazine profile went into deeper detail about the dismissal of Hegseth's allies in the Pentagon, including his advisers Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll. Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff, believed that Colin tried to get Kasper fired through a report by the Pentagon's inspector general about Kasper's alleged drug use. 'That's what pisses me off the most,' Carroll said. 'I don't want a secretary of defense that can't even f***ing fire people properly and not have it rebound back on his ass. Pete can't even be a good villain.' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied claims of disarray under Hegseth's tenure. 'Claims of chaos at the Pentagon under Secretary Hegseth are false,' he said. 'When members of the legacy media lie, they disrespect the brave servicemembers and civilians who selflessly serve our country.' At the moment, Hegseth no longer has a chief of staff or deputy chief of staff.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Troops in the Streets, Questions in Congress: Mass. reckons with role of military in civil society
It wasn't a matter of whether U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton was going to fire some hardball questions at President Donald Trump's Pentagon chief on Thursday — it was instead a matter of how many he could squeeze in and how intense they would be. It didn't take long to find out. Moulton, D-6th District, cut right to the chase during the five or so minutes he had with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the former Fox News anchor defended his agency's budget request before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee. The Salem lawmaker pressed Hegseth repeatedly on whether he'd accept any personal responsibility for his role in the headline-grabbing national security meltdown known as 'SignalGate,' as well as his purge of senior Defense Department officials. 'You said accountability is back [at the Pentagon], Mr. Secretary,' the Salem Democrat jabbed at one point. " And you know what? The Houthis were held accountable for shooting at our forces," Hegseth responded. Moulton, an ex-Marine, jumped back in: 'I'm just asking if it applies to you.' 'I serve at the pleasure of the president,' Hegseth responded. It was a vivid reminder that the place and primacy of the American military — not to mention its role in a civil society — has been at the center of the public conversation recently in a way that it has not been for a while. That conversation largely has been dominated by the headlines emanating from Los Angeles over immigration protests and the U.S. Marines and National Guard soldiers who have been deployed there as a result. And that's not to leave out Trump's military parade on the streets of Washington, D.C., on Saturday. And Americans have thoughts. A text survey of 1,000 Americans, including more than 200 Californians, by the Washington Post and the Schar School at George Mason University, found deep divisions over Trump's management of the protests. The survey found that Californians were more critical of Trump's actions, as were Democrats and self-identified independents, the newspaper reported. Americans were mostly negative on Trump's handling of immigration. Read More: Poll reveals how Americans feel about Trump sending troops into LA over ICE protests A plurality of respondents to a similar YouGov poll said they didn't approve of the White House's decision to deploy the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, Axios reported. Nearly 8 in 10 respondents to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll said they don't have an opinion one way or the other on Trump's military parade on Saturday. But even within that cohort, 6 in 10 respondents said they don't think it's a good use of public money. And if you think that the White House's power play only applies to California, think again. The order Trump signed authorizing the National Guard deployment also opens the door to similar actions in other states. That's according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell, who joined with nearly two dozen colleagues nationwide in support of a lawsuit by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, challenging the White House's action. 'The unlawful deployment of armed forces under the guise of public safety to suppress protests, invoke fear, and silence dissent against the president's cruel policies is dangerous, and every resident should be concerned,' Campbell said in a statement. On Thursday night, a U.S. District court judge in San Francisco ruled that Trump had to return command over those National Guard soldiers to Newsom, The Associated Press reported. Hours later, a federal appeals court reversed the order and restored Trump's authority over the Guard. Elsewhere on Capitol Hill on Thursday, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, the acting ranking Democrat on the powerful House Oversight Committee, blasted the White House's decision to deploy Marines to one of the nation's largest cities. 'Our Marines are often the first responders in a war zone. But American neighborhoods are not war zones,' Lynch, D-8th District, said as the committee held a hearing on the White House's immigration policies. 'Protesters are not enemy combatants — they are Americans who have the constitutional right to peacefully assemble and speak up," the South Boston lawmaker continued. U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, also a former Marine, told CNN that he never expected to see active-duty Marines deployed to Los Angeles or any other American city. That's because 'in this scenario, as in almost every scenario imaginable, it is unnecessary, it's illegal and it's deeply unfair to these Marines,' the Newton lawmaker said, according to Mediaite. At times like this, we're often inclined to look for historical parallels. Many people look to ancient Rome — although direct comparisons aren't always easy, convenient, or even immediately apparent. Still, the Romans did have a prohibition against allowing legions within the city walls. Returning generals were required to dissolve their armies and enter the city as civilians. It was the ultimate expression of the civil government's authority over the military. When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in January 49 B.C., and eventually entered Rome itself, in defiance of that edict, it marked the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. Again, there are no easy parallels. But the United States has had a similar tradition of a rigidly apolitical military that swears to defend and uphold the Constitution, and not an elected leader, for all of its history. And once the legions are within the city walls, it can be awfully hard to get them to leave. Mass. governor's race intensifies as GOP candidates seize on LA protests | John L. Micek Can the Mass. GOP flip this Taunton state House seat? | Bay State Briefing Mass. lawmakers get bad grades on industry report card. But who's failing whom? | John L. Micek Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Trump admin is struggling to hire staff for this key official
The Trump administration is reportedly having trouble hiring aides and top advisors to work for U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to NBC News. The Republican White House has been searching for a new chief of staff and several other senior advisors for Hegseth following 'a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership,' NBC News reported. Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles have been involved in the search for staff members. But so far, three people have already turned down potential jobs, according to the report. To further complicate matters, the White House has also rejected some individuals that Hegseth wants to hire, while Hegseth has rejected some of the White House's candidates, according to NBC News. Last April, members of Hegseth's staff were either put on leave or had left their positions at the Pentagon. Hegseth placed two senior aides on leave in April amid an investigation into a leak of sensitive information from the Pentagon, according to USA Today. It was also revealed in April that Hegseth's Chief of Staff, Joe Kasper, would leave his position, according to Politico. John Ullyot, a former spokesperson for the Pentagon under Hegseth, wrote in an April Politico op-ed that his former boss is leading a department that is in disarray. 'It's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon,' Ullyot wrote. 'From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership." The New York Times also reported in April that Hegseth created a group chat on Signal with his wife and brother. There, he shared details of a military strike in March against Yemen's Houthi militants, according to the Times. It was previously reported that the details of the strike were shared in a separate Signal chat group featuring Hegseth, other top Trump officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. The stories of the Signal chats were referred to as 'SignalGate.' The Pentagon's watchdog is investigating whether any of Hegseth's aides were asked to delete messages from Signal that may have shared sensitive military information with the editor-in-chief, according to The Associated Press. U.S. House committee demands Harvard send them hiring policies for review ICE detains most-followed TikTok star amid Trump immigration crackdown Mass. doctor ousted by RFK Jr. as part of purge to CDC vaccine advisory committee Williams College stops accepting federal grants, opposing new policy What Gov. Newsom said after an Ala. senator called LA 'a third world country' Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FEMA Chief and Other Trump Picks Unqualified For Top Government Jobs
You'd like to think the politicians leading the country are actually fit for the job, but President Donald Trump's slew of questionable appointees to the highest positions in the country– and the world– has Americans thinking differently. Most recently, FEMA Chief David Richardson was blasted after admitting he had no clue the country experienced hurricane season, according to Reuters. He has since came out saying it was all a joke, but… was it really? From Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's shaky personal life to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon's former role at WWE, clearly, there's some discrepancies about what makes someone fit to lead. Now, we're taking a closer look at Trump's advisors and cabinet members to really unpack the scary trends among the country's top leadership. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appointed David Richardson, a Marine veteran and martial-arts instructor, to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Despite having no previous professional record of handling natural disasters or relief, he joined the FEMA team in early May. On his first day in office, he promised to do Trump's bidding. Richardson even told agency staff he will 'run right over' anyone trying to deter him from carrying out the president's mission, CNN reported. Sen. Chuck Schumer tweeted about Richardson's hurricane season blunder saying, he was 'unaware of why he hasn't been fired yet.' When Hegseth was first appointed to serve as the head of the most vital government department, bipartisan rage exploded from politicians nation-wide. And after the bombshell report that he compromised national security in the Signal Gate controversy… twice… critics of Hegseth haven't let up on him yet. During his confirmation process, he faced several allegations he was drinking on the job and had problems with alcohol. And his own family members have come out alleging he was physically and sexually abusive, according to AP News. President Trump vowed to dismantle the Department of Education, and he started his agenda by appointing Linda McMahon to run the show. McMahon has a brief background in education. In fact, she was nominated to serve on the Connecticut State Board of Education in 2009, according to ABC News. But unfortunately, that's where her expertise stops. Before she was picked by Trump, McMahon founded WWE with her husband Vincent. The couple is worth more than $3 billion, according to Forbes, which as you'll see is a trend among Trump nominees. Out of everyone on this list, the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was perhaps the most horrifying and embarrassing for the Trump administration. The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy is an environmental attorney, previously taking on DuPont and Monsanto, according to AP News. But outside of this and his obvious devotion to Trump, RFK Jr.'s views on health and vaccines drew massive concerns from Democrats and Republicans alike. He's an anti-vaxxer who claimed autism was a direct side effect of receiving vaccines. He also perpetuated the racist and baseless theory that Black people should be on a separate vaccine schedule based on genetic makeup. All of his dangerous theories have been proven wrong by experts around the globe. A lawyer and former federal prosecutor, Patel has more experience serving in the White House than almost all of Trump's Cabinet picks. However, it's his undying devotion to the president that continues to make folks question his real intentions. It's important to note that Trump is largely responsible for propelling Patel's career in politics. While serving under Trump's first term, Patel was even set to be named the deputy director of the CIA until former Vice President Mike Pence and other members of Trump's Cabinet intervened, according to the Atlantic. She was once a Democratic, even running for president in 2020 against Trump. But in true MAGA fashion, once Trump began making promises, Tulsi Gabbard changed her tune and shifted to the MAGA right, according to PBS. The veteran and first Hindu woman elected to Congress doesn't have a strong background in intelligence. Even Sen. Dick Durbin said 'Tulsi Gabbard would not be qualified for an entry-level position within our intelligence community' let alone the top of it. In November 2024, Trump tapped Pam Bondi for attorney general. She was formally the Florida Attorney General and has her degree in criminal justice, according to NPR. But according to insiders, her chief qualification is her loyalty to Trump. Bondi was previously Trump's personal attorney. She was also involved in Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Arguably Trump's most controversial nominee to date, Russell Vought's confirmation set off an avalanche of backlash from Democrats. Most notably, Vought co-wrote 'Project 2025,' the 999-page MAGA rulebook designed to reshape the country with cuts to the DOE and attacks to the LGBT+ community and DEI. Vought previously served in Trump's first administration. He left office after Trump was voted out to start the Center for Renewing America, the far-right Christian entity. Although the Tesla CEO is officially done with the White House, for the strong part of the year, he served as Trump's right hand man. In his position as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk oversaw the mass firing of thousands of government workers in alleged efforts to rid the country of senseless spending and corruption. Musk had no political background before being tapped by Trump. He also skipped over the Congressional appointment and questioning process. The most qualifying thing about CEO of SpaceX is his title as Trump's highest campaign donor. Howard Lutnick was one of Trump's first nominees for his Cabinet. With a net worth of around $3 billion, according to Lutnick follows Trump's very clear list of qualifications: wealthy and loyal. He got close to Trump after appearing on his reality show 'The Apprentice.' Since then, the Trump advisor has only strengthened his relationship with the president. Most recently, Lutnick was grilled in a Senate hearing he has no clue what important laws pertaining to his job were, according to the Daily Beast. Although he has experience in Congress, Doug Collins first rose to prominence– you guessed it– coming to Trump's defense. In 2016, after the president was accused of conspiring with Russia to undermine the presidential election, Collins defended the president on the House Judiciary Committee, according to NBC Washington. He even wrote a book, defending Trump from his 2019 impeachment. Most recently, Trump tapped Paul Ingrassia to head the office responsible for protecting whistleblowers and other federal workers from unlawful employment practices. Ingrassia has no real political background, but he is a former far-right podcast and a Jan. 6 apologist. According to MSNBC, Ingrassia has only been a lawyer for three years, and with little investigative experience– which the job requires– many see his appointment as a slap in the face to those who rely on the government agency.
