Pentagon Leak Scandal Sparks Backlash from Ousted Advisors

Dan Caldwell, a senior advisor to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, broke his silence after being escorted out of the Pentagon this week over an alleged leak. Alongside officials Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, Caldwell released a joint statement expressing frustration with the Pentagon’s internal investigation and their abrupt dismissal.

“We are incredibly disappointed by how our service at the Department of Defense ended,” Caldwell wrote on X, criticizing unnamed Pentagon officials for making "baseless attacks" on their character. The trio claimed they were never informed about the specifics of the investigation or whether it was even legitimate, saying, “We still don’t know what we were investigated for, if it’s ongoing, or if it ever existed.”

Reuters reported Caldwell’s removal came after a leak probe accused him of unauthorized disclosures. Selnick, Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, and Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, were also let go.

In their statement, the three denied leaking sensitive or classified information and emphasized their commitment to protecting national security.

Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran and Iraq War deployer, was a key advisor to Hegseth. A recently leaked Signal text thread showed Hegseth named Caldwell as a main contact for the National Security Council ahead of U.S. airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels. Known for his skeptical stance on U.S. military intervention and support for a restrained foreign policy, Caldwell had previously argued that the U.S. would be better off staying out of global conflicts.

The Pentagon has not responded to the controversy. Caldwell’s removal comes amid broader personnel shakeups under Hegseth, including the firing of top military leaders such as the Joint Chiefs chairman and the Navy’s top admiral.