A second top official has been ousted from Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon following a probe into potential leaks.
The Pentagon’s deputy chief of staff, Darin Selnick, was suspended from his post and escorted out of the building, a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Politico.
A defense official additionally confirmed to the Daily Beast that Selnick was placed on administrative leave.
Selnick became the second official in one day to be placed on administrative leave after one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s aides, Dan Caldwell, was also escorted out of the Pentagon and had his access pulled.
A probe into leaks at the Department of Defense is reportedly ensuing. / Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Shakeups had started at the Pentagon Tuesday, Reuters first reported, noting that Caldwell was placed on administrative leave for “an unauthorized disclosure.” Like Selnick, Caldwell is currently reportedly under investigation as well.
The pair’s removal comes on the heels of a March memo ordering an investigation into leaks at the Department of the Defense.
Signed by Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, the memo requested a probe into the “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications.” It also approved the use of polygraphs (aka lie detector tests) for doing so.
Two of Hegseth’s top staff have been placed on administrative leave. / Kiyoshi Ota/Pool – Getty Images
A defense official told Politico that the investigation is concerned with leaked information regarding military plans in the Panama canal, a second carrier being deployed to the Red Sea, Elon Musk’s visit to the Pentagon in March, and pausing intelligence aid to Ukraine.
Prior to his role as deputy chief of staff, Selnick served in the White House and the Department of Veterans Affairs during President Donald Trump’s first administration.
Caldwell meanwhile, was listed by Hegseth as the Pentagon’s primary contact to coordinate military strikes on Houthis in Yemen in a leaked Signal text chain published by The Atlantic in March. He’s also a veteran who served as a Marine Corps during the Iraq War.
