Our forthcoming book is The Comeback: The 2024 Elections and American Politics. The second Trump administration is off to an ominous start.
The Trump administration's incompetence extends across the river into the Pentagon.
Daniel Lippman and Jack Detsch at Politico:
Joe Kasper, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff will leave his role in the coming days for a new position at the agency, according to a senior administration official, amid a week of turmoil for the Pentagon.
Senior adviser Dan Caldwell, Hegseth deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, were placed on leave this week in an ongoing leak probe. All three were terminated on Friday, according to three people familiar with the matter, who, like others, were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue.
The latest incidents add to the Pentagon’s broader upheaval in recent months, including fallout from Hegseth’s release of sensitive information in a Signal chat with other national security leaders and a controversial department visit by Elon Musk.
Caldwell, Carroll, Selnick and Kasper declined to comment. Two of the people said Carroll and Selnick plan to sue for wrongful termination. The Pentagon did not respond to a request of comment.
Joint statement from Colin Carroll, Darin Selnick, and Dan Caldwell:
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) April 19, 2025
All three had their employment terminated by the Pentagon on Friday. Prior to that, they were placed on administrative leave.
The three were the target of an investigation into unauthorized leaks.
Colin… pic.twitter.com/6cti6UFtMk
