Latest news with #Buria
New York Post
09-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
White House rejects Hegseth chief of staff pick who trashed Trump and Vance as ‘crazy,' ‘dumb'
WASHINGTON — The drama surrounding Pete Hegseth's Pentagon has a new lead player: a top aide known to his detractors as 'Rasputin Ricky.' Ricky Buria, the defense secretary's de facto chief of staff, is a rare Biden administration holdover and an internal critic of Vice President JD Vance's 'wackamamie crazy' and 'isolationist' views — who has also slammed President Trump's use of the military for immigration enforcement as 'dumb.' Buria, 43, is also considered 'incredibly intelligent and hardworking,' has fashioned himself as a China hawk and is seen by Hegseth as an effective administrator who keeps the office running smoothly — but the White House has blocked him from a permanent chief of staff appointment due to concern about his alignment with the commander in chief. Advertisement 'There is an ideological component to this,' said one Buria critic. 'Hegseth is elevating a Democrat who does not share the vice president or the president's worldview and who weaponized his position to push out internal rivals, including people who had very strong histories of being supporters of the MAGA agenda.' 5 Ricky Buria, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's newest right-hand man. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Samuel Ruiz Buria's elevated status has triggered a brouhaha among factions close to Trump, who has had aides hold varying views throughout his terms in office — while often changing his own in response to circumstances. Advertisement Trump often vacillates between denouncing military action abroad and ordering its use in specific instances — and Buria has positioned himself on one flank, while those with whom he's clashed internally have diverse points of view. 'He is more interventionist than most of the people in Trumpworld,' the Buria detractor added. 'But everyone wants to distill this story down to one neat narrative. Yeah, Ricky didn't like the VP's worldview, I think that's an element. But Ricky's ascendency isn't a part of that clash.' Though the Trump White House recently turned down Hegseth's request to make Buria his top adviser, he nonetheless continues as right-hand man to the defense secretary — who last month fired, with Buria's encouragement, three top aides including well-known non-interventionist Dan Caldwell, who had served as a senior adviser to the defense secretary. The Post spoke to eight sources inside or close to the Pentagon and White House to investigate Buria's rapid ascent from serving Biden's defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, as a junior military aide — a prestigious but largely bag-carrying role — to reaching the top of Trump's Defense Department's leadership. Advertisement 5 Buria chats with Elon Musk at the Pentagon March 21. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Spencer Perkins Buria's criticism of the administration he serves has not previously been reported, but is well-known within both the Pentagon and White House — and one source speculated that his candor may have been the result of not realizing that he would emerge unscathed from last month's purge. 'There was absolutely no withholding of his personal sentiments on any of this stuff,' one source said. 'He would talk about the 'wackamamie crazy' of [Vance] and the New Right. He was a military officer, which makes it even worse.' Buria, who put in his paperwork to retire from the Marine Corps last month to allow for a possible political appointment that would cement his current role, in February condemned Trump's decision to use military aircraft to repatriate migrants and to use Guantanamo Bay to facilitate deportations — declaring it a 'dumb waste of money' — three independent sources said. Advertisement 'He hated and loathed the border mission,' one person said. 'He thinks it's a waste of money, resources and time and we got to focus on China — China, China, China … He never said 'China' once the first couple weeks.' The extent of Buria's influence on implementation of administration policy is unclear and Trump has stood by Hegseth, who is viewed as being on the more hawkish wing of the administration while maintaining good personal relationships with other key figures, including Vance. Two sources said Buria specifically condemned Vance's views on foreign policy after the VP expressed internal opposition to airstrikes on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in mid-March, a stance which was reported by Atlantic magazine editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg after he was mistakenly added to a Signal chat that included administration officials. Days earlier, on March 5, Buria clashed with Vance's team during a trip to the Mexican border when the VP's staff denied Buria's repeated demands to be included on a helicopter flight with Vance and Hegseth despite being told the manifest was full and there was no space for him, four sources said. 'We don't like texting the secretary… we don't know who is responding' Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon has been defined by a series of reports alleging a lax approach to information security — including that he discussed sensitive work with family members and used an insecure internet line to connect to Signal. The Post's sources described additional operational security concerns. Buria's wide-ranging advisory and logistical roles include managing Hegseth's personal cellphone, according to three sources, two of whom said they saw him flout security protocols by bringing it into the secretary's office — which is deemed a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, where personal devices are not allowed. Advertisement 5 Hegseth, accompanied by Buria (in uniform, carrying bag), at President Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff announcement. The Washington Post via Getty Images One source said they personally witnessed Buria bring Hegseth's phone into the SCIF 'at least a dozen times.' A second person scoffed that such behavior is more common within the US government than the public would know. A third tipster said: 'Ricky has both custody of and access to the secretary's phone in the workplace. The uncomfortable joke is we don't like texting the secretary because we don't know who is responding.' Advertisement The Pentagon and White House did not offer comment for this story — or push back on a detailed list of claims made by sources. Multiple attempts to reach Buria for comment via email, phone and through the Defense Department press office were unsuccessful. Vance's office told The Post that limited seats were the only factor in Buria not being allowed on the helicopter during the border visit. 'I think the secretary's calculus on this thing is it's better to keep Ricky close than to have him out there talking,' said one source, who described Hegseth as reluctant to create yet another issue for reporters to investigate that could generate fresh instability. While Trump's Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO) has rebuffed Hegseth's attempts to install Buria officially, White House leaders have deferred to Hegseth over whether to keep Buria as an adviser. Advertisement 'PPO, the White House, everybody's impression was, 'Look, if [Pete] wants to detonate, sometimes you just got to let him'. They couldn't understand why or what was compelling this,' said one person familiar with the matter. 'I think this is someone who is largely responsible for putting Pete in the position he's in,' another source said. 'I'm not saying the secretary is blameless, but [Buria] weaponized his closeness to the secretary and his wife [Jennifer Hegseth] to undermine aides who were loyal to the secretary and president's agenda.' 'These guys need to go' Many sources described Buria's influence with Hegseth as mysterious — with several likening him to the Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, who gained influence over the Romanov court through his relationship with Czar Nicholas II's wife. Buria — described as a handsome and charismatic helicopter pilot known for wearing his flight jacket around the office — was one of the first officials to greet the Hegseths at the Pentagon in late January and survived an initial purge of military aides close to Austin. Advertisement He quickly became close to Jennifer Hegseth, a former Fox News producer who became Pete Hegseth's third wife in 2019, and has accompanied the couple to their home in Tennessee on weekends, four sources said. Buria charmed Jennifer, who was deeply suspicious of disloyalty after enduring a grueling confirmation process in which Senate Democrats highlighted allegations against her husband of excessive drinking, mismanagement of a nonprofit and sexual assault — the last of which police determined was unfounded. In an unusual move, Buria handed over his cellphone for Jennifer Hegseth to peruse in a gesture of reassurance that he was loyal to the secretary and not a leaker. 5 President Trump (right) and Vice President JD Vance. AFP via Getty Images Some sources said that the handover occurred after Buria told colleagues in late February or early March that he was still in touch with Biden's defense secretary. Hegseth proclaimed that, 'No, Jen looked through his phone, and there were no Lloyd Austin messages,' one source recounted. The phone swap was 'really bizarre to me because Ricky literally has five phones' and 'could have shown her any phone. But Jen didn't understand,' another source said. It's unclear to what extent Jennifer Hegseth vouches for Buria to her husband — but five sources with knowledge of the matter said that he encouraged her to sway her husband to fire Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who was chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg. 'He said 'These guys need to go,'' one source said. Another said that Buria 'would over-embellish the idea that there was all this chaos and this drama … that never really was. Ricky took advantage of all the time and access he had with the family.' Buria 'always felt like he should be in a position of more authority and respect. He's incredibly intelligent and hardworking, but he was always trying to position himself in a way to gain what he felt he was due,' said a third observer. 5 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rauchet walk to the House Chamber before of President Donald Trump addresses to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. AP The full justification for the terminations has never been made fully clear, but Caldwell, Carroll and Selnick were all suspected of leaks — which they denied — and had a rocky relationship with Joe Kasper, Hegseth's first chief of staff who left his own role days later amid tensions with Buria. A fifth official, top Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot, also resigned and penned a blockbuster Politico op-ed on April 20 expressing concern about the direction of department leadership. Each of the five were longtime advisers or allies to Trump and some, including Caldwell, had worked with Hegseth for years before joining the government. Buria's survival — and Hegseth's attempt to enshrine him as chief of staff — stunned insiders. Meanwhile, two sources — one from the Pentagon and a second close to the White House — said Buria has openly talked about wanting to run as a Democratic candidate for Florida governor. 'He made it very clear that he wore a different political stripe. And I think that culminated when he, on several instances, discussed his ambition to run for governor of Florida one day as a Democrat. That wasn't just in front of me — that was in front of multiple people,' one source said. Public records show Buria donated $100 to a Democratic congressional candidate in 2023. Detractors, meanwhile, have circulated an image of him applauding the Jan. 12 unveiling of a portrait of Mark Milley, the anti-Trump former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as a LinkedIn post in which he praised Biden Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh, writing, 'I can't wait to serve with you again.' 'This is without question the worst in a string of bad judgment calls recently by Secretary Hegseth,' one source told The Post of Buria's elevation. 'It's a big issue,' said another. 'All political appointees go through a vetting process, and anyone with Ricky's past would not make it through step one.'
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Hegseth Used Multiple Signal Chats For Official Pentagon Business
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used Signal more extensively for official Pentagon business than previously disclosed, engaging in at least a dozen separate chats, people familiar with his management practices said. In one case, he told aides on the encrypted app to inform foreign governments about an unfolding military operation, the people said. He also used the nongovernmental message service to discuss media appearances, foreign travel, his schedule, and other unclassified but sensitive information, two people said. The former Fox News host set up many of the chats himself, sending texts from an unsecured line in his Pentagon office and from his personal phone, the two said. Some of Hegseth's messages were posted by his military aide, Marine Col. Ricky Buria, who was given access to the secretary's personal phone, the people said. It was Buria who posted information in March about an imminent U.S. attack on Houthi militants in Yemen into a Signal chat group that included the secretary's wife, brother, and private lawyer, the people said. Hegseth's frequent use of the app in his daily duties and Buria's role in posting information on his behalf haven't been previously reported. The Pentagon and Buria didn't respond to requests for comment. Acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins announced last month that he was investigating Hegseth's use of Signal after the disclosure by Atlantic magazine that the secretary had posted information about the Yemen strikes in a chat involving senior administration officials. Similar information posted in the separate chat that included Hegseth's family members is also part of the inspector general inquiry. Among the messages posted in some of the other chats by Hegseth were his thoughts on personnel matters, Pentagon programs facing cuts, and details of administration national security debates. The texts authorizing aides to tell allies about military operations are among the most sensitive messages he sent, two people said. Instead of using the Pentagon's vast communications network, Hegseth preferred Signal to run the Defense Department's day-to-day operations, the people said. Among those he added to chats were members of his security detail, staffers in his personal office and that of the deputy secretary, as well as public-affairs aides. To read the messages, aides routinely had to step away from their desks to find a location in the Pentagon that received phone service, which is spotty in the building. Previous administrations have used the nongovernmental messaging apps, but using Signal to share closely-guarded information could put sensitive information at risk of landing in the wrong hands, experts say. 'The use of personal phones and commercial apps introduces unnecessary risk. Signal is considered unclassified by the government for a reason,' said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior U.S. intelligence officer. 'It's clear that U.S. government systems are having a hard time keeping up with the required pace of business.' In some cases, Hegseth's messages disappeared without being properly recorded, the people familiar said, potentially a violation of laws requiring official records to be preserved. A 2023 Pentagon directive restricts the use of some nongovernment apps, including Signal, for official business, saying such messaging services shouldn't be used for sensitive but unclassified information. 'DOD personnel won't use non-DOD accounts or personal email accounts, messaging systems or other nonpublic DOD information systems, except approved or authorized government contractor systems, to conduct official business,' the memo from the Pentagon chief information officer said. It isn't clear whether Signal has been approved for use by Pentagon officials since the memo was issued. 'This memo isn't definitive to determine the legality of Secretary Hegseth's use of Signal on a personal device to transmit nonpublic, unclassified DOD information,' said Aram Gavoor, the associate dean for academic affairs and a national security law professor at George Washington University Law School. President Trump said last week that he planned to shift national security adviser Mike Waltz, who lost favor within the White House in part because of his role in the Signal controversy, out of his post. Waltz, who inadvertently added the editor of the Atlantic to a Signal group about U.S. strikes in Yemen, will be nominated to be ambassador to the United Nations and is likely to face questions during his confirmation hearing about his and Hegseth's use of the encrypted app. Hegseth shared some of the most sensitive information on the Signal chat group that included other senior officials, including specific times that F-18s, MQ-9 Reaper drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles would be used in the March 15 attack, according to a transcript released by the Atlantic. The group was established by Waltz. In an interview Sunday with NBC's 'Meet the Press,' Trump said Hegseth's job was 'totally safe' and that he wasn't looking for a new defense chief. 'Pete's going to be great,' Trump said. 'He's doing a great job.' Write to Alexander Ward at and Nancy A. Youssef at Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Aide's rise under Hegseth scrutinized in White House, Pentagon
Pete Hegseth's 100-day tenure as defense secretary has brought an unceremonious end to the careers of numerous top military officers - but it has also created unexpected avenues for advancement, including for one Marine who has thrown his lot in with the controversial Pentagon chief. Biden-era officials say they were flabbergasted when Ricky Buria, a respected officer who worked closely with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, abruptly set aside a promising future in uniform to assume a political position as a senior adviser to Hegseth, whose security lapses and anti-diversity agenda have fueled widespread calls from Democrats, and at least one Republican, to resign. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. The change in course by Buria, who had been seen as a rising star in the Marine Corps, underscores the different ways in which Hegseth's disruptive approach is impacting the military ranks, summarily ousting at least nine senior officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while creating unconventional - and professionally risky - opportunities for others. It also illustrates how the increasingly politicized climate enveloping what has been one of America's most independent institutions has created risks even for allies of the defense secretary, as White House officials and other Republicans voice concern about Buria - even after his recent, unexpected retirement - because of his association with Austin and his status as one of the few top aides who span the administrations. 'In a place with a lot of purity tests,' one person familiar with the issue said, 'that could be a kiss of death.' Buria did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did spokespeople for Hegseth. Some Republicans loyal to the president have sought to block the elevation of Buria, whom officials say Hegseth has openly considered for his next chief of staff following a purge of top aides, by alerting the White House to his background, said two people familiar with the issue. Officials there have begun to ask questions about him, one of those officials said. Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters. Buria, an MV-22 pilot who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has emerged as a top contender for one of the Pentagon's most powerful jobs only months after being named as Austin's junior military aide. In a prestigious but unglamorous role, a junior military aide typically acts as a defense secretary's 'body man,' shadowing him at the Pentagon or overseas, getting his meals and ensuring necessary documents are in hand for meetings or public remarks. The job exposes officers to top-level operations and typically opens doors leading to the military's highest ranks. Former officials who worked alongside Buria in the Biden administration said the Marine was usually the first person to greet Austin at the Pentagon in the morning and would typically remain until the retired general was ready to go home. They described Buria as competent and focused, and said he never gave any indication about his political views or suggested he disagreed with Biden-era policies. 'He was an absolute professional,' one former official said. When Austin stepped down in January, Buria posted words of praise and gratitude for some of the outgoing secretary's political aides, including deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh. 'I can't wait to serve with you again,' Buria wrote on LinkedIn. When Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon in January, Buria quickly became close with the former Fox News host and his wife, Jennifer, according to people familiar with the inner workings of Hegseth's team. They attributed that partly to Buria's role, in which he saw Pete Hegseth daily and traveled with him on weekends to Tennessee, where the Hegseths own a home. Hegseth, who came to his role with little Washington experience, also bounced ideas off Buria, they said. His stature in Hegseth's circle grew in February when Hegseth fired Buria's boss, Air Force Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short, whom Austin had appointed as senior military aide, another nonpartisan role typically held by a three-star military officer who bridges administrations and has often gone on to be promoted to a high-profile job. Her firing left a vacancy that Hegseth let Buria fill temporarily. As such, he was seated alongside Hegseth for bilateral meetings with foreign dignitaries, an unusual move for an officer of his rank. His relative influence expanded again when, in a sign of upheaval among his top advisers, Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, stepped aside and other senior aides were forced out amid a leak investigation. That Buria had assumed Short's role rubbed some the wrong way at the Pentagon, where hierarchy and tradition can be sacrosanct. Generals and other military staff grumbled about Buria, who was promoted to the rank of colonel only last fall, delivering curt messages from Hegseth to officers far more senior, two officials said. The arrival in April of Army Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve as Hegseth's new senior military assistant shifted the dynamics again. Buria was due to return to his less-influential role, which people familiar with the issue said made the prospect of leaving the military for an advisory position appealing despite the controversy that has largely defined Hegseth's stewardship of the institution. 'It was going to be hard for him to step back into the JMA role,' one person familiar with the issue said, using an acronym for junior military assistant. 'He was telling certain folks that he was willing to retire and become a civilian person all the way back in March.' Buria's move appears all the more surprising because of the stark contrast between the two men he has served in the Pentagon's executive suite: Austin, a reserved retired four-star general who largely avoided the spotlight after becoming the first African American defense secretary, and Hegseth, a former National Guard major and conservative TV personality who has routinely attacked critics on social media and focused on rooting out the military's diversity programs. Despite Democrats' criticism of Hegseth, he has remained defiant - and President Donald Trump has voiced his support. 'I have so much confidence in him,' Trump told supporters in Michigan on Tuesday night. 'The fake news is after him, really after him, but he's a tough cookie. They don't know how tough he is.' Some former officials who praised Buria's performance under Austin questioned whether his gamble would pay off. 'It seems like a miscalculation, with Hegseth on the ropes,' one former official said. 'He went from being in a low-key, safe position under Hegseth to a white-hot dangerous one,' said another. Former officials noted that successful chiefs of staff at the Pentagon, with its budget of more than $800 billion and a famously unwieldy bureaucracy, often have broad experience across government agencies and Congress, credentials many military officers lack. Given Hegseth's lack of experience in Washington policymaking, 'he really needs ballast in the team underneath him,' one of the former officials said. For Buria to retire with his current rank, a consideration with significant implications for his retirement pay, he would need to either serve as a colonel for two years or seek and receive a waiver from the Defense Department, defense officials familiar with the issue said. In recent days, Buria has stepped out as a voice for the 'Make America Great Again' movement, setting up a social media account on X and boosting posts from Hegseth, the White House and other administration accounts that boast about Trump's record and tout the military's expanded role on the southern border and its steps to tighten fitness standards for troops. He has also echoed attacks by Trump and Hegseth on the media, a frequent target of both officials when they face criticism. 'Results…not fake news!' Buria wrote. 'Thank you President Trump for your clear leadership!' Related Content You can read with a cat on your lap at this bookstore, then adopt the cat What does it take to beat an evil empire? 'Andor' knows.
CBS News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Hegseth's Pentagon office set up system so he could access Signal messages, sources say
The Pentagon set up a system in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's office that enabled him to check messages on the encrypted messaging app Signal while at the office, sources familiar with the matter told CBS News. Two of the sources said the system bypasses standard Defense Department security protocols. A computer monitor in Hegseth's office was installed to give him remote access to the Signal app and text messages from his personal cellphone, the sources said. Hegseth has used the system to check and respond to those messages at his desk, multiple sources said. The Associated Press earlier reported that Hegseth has made use of an unsecured internet connection, which is known as a "dirty line" among IT and cybersecurity professionals. The connection bypasses security protocols that defend against vulnerabilities that could be exploited by adversaries. A Defense Department spokesperson denied there's a "dirty line," and denied there is currently any use of Signal inside Hegseth's office. The spokesperson said there's a physical line running between the computer monitor in the defense secretary's office and his cellphone, which is kept immediately outside his office. The monitor alerts him to messages so that he can step out to check his phone. The official said it's currently set up as a one-way line. The office suite is a sensitive compartmentalized information facility, or SCIF, where cellphones are prohibited. Two sources with knowledge of the matter told CBS News that the work-around is a security risk – it gives Hegseth access to his personal iPhone text messages and Signal chat groups at his desk even though his cellphone isn't physically in the office. It is not on the Defense Department's Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router Network, known in military parlance as NIPR, they said. Hegseth, an Army veteran and former Fox News host, has faced criticism this week after it was reported that he shared details about impending U.S. airstrikes in Yemen in a private Signal group that he created, which included his wife as well as his brother and personal attorney, who both have positions at the Pentagon but are not in positions that have a clear need to know that sensitive information. It was the second Signal group chat where Hegseth shared the information. An aide in Hegseth's office, Marine Col. Ricky Buria, helped organize the effort to fix some internet connectivity issues in Hegseth's office in the first days of the administration, two of the sources said. Buria had some oversight over the work to set up the Signal work-around, the sources said. The Defense Department didn't respond to a request for comment on Buria's role. Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging application, has a desktop app that connects to a user's mobile device through a unique QR code. Once paired, the desktop version mirrors the mobile phone version, allowing users to send and receive messages, access contacts and manage shared media. The sources spoke to CBS News under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. contributed to this report.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth's Yes-Man Signal Guru Is His New Favorite Aide
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted to access Signal from the Pentagon despite restrictions preventing it, he knew just who to ask: Col. Ricky Buria, a close military aide. Buria, a junior military assistant, has quickly become a key member of Hegseth's inner circle as the defense secretary faces controversies surrounding his misuse of the messaging app and the terminations of top Pentagon officials. CNN reported that it was Buria who asked the Defense Department's chief information officer whether Hegseth could be exempted from a policy outlined in a 2023 memo that states apps like Signal are 'NOT authorized to access, transmit, process non-public DoD information.' 'He likes that Ricky does what he asks and gets him what he needs,' a defense official told CNN. The inquiry reportedly raised eyebrows among senior Pentagon officials who were unsure if the request was appropriate. It's unclear whether Hegseth was ever granted an exemption, though sources told The Washington Post that the app was installed on his desktop computer and used an unsecure internet connection, also known as a 'dirty line.' 'The Secretary of Defense's use of communications systems and channels is classified. However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,' Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told CNN. Buria is a career Marine who was one of the only holdovers from the team of former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. A Marine spokesperson confirmed to CNN, however, that Buria submitted his retirement papers to the Marine Corps last week. Buria is now transitioning to a new role as a senior civilian advisor to Hegseth, according to sources who spoke to Defense News. Multiple reports have also indicated that the defense secretary is potentially eyeing Buria for the chief of staff post recently vacated by Joe Kasper. In February, Buria briefly became the acting senior military assistant—a role normally reserved for three-star officers—after Hegseth went on a firing spree. The job eventually went to Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve, but Buria nonetheless filled an urgent gap. 'Ricky was only the SMA because he was the only guy standing,' an official told Defense News. 'The biggest thing to note here is just how unusual it is for a Biden appointee, albeit a military officer, to be moved into this position,' another official said. Buria has since gone from carrying Hegseth's bags to attending meetings with top Trump officials and foreign leaders, leaving current and former defense officials to wonder whether he's qualified for high-level roles. 'Proximity is power,' a source told Defense News. 'He was around the secretary more than anybody else.'
