April 15 (UPI) — A top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on administrative leave, according to a Defense official, following an investigation into leaks at the department.
Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to Hegseth, was escorted out by security and had his Pentagon access suspended over an “unauthorized disclosure,” the official confirmed to Politico, the Washington Examiner and BNO News.
Caldwell is a Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War and has a key role in advising the Defense Department on Ukraine. Caldwell was also the Pentagon’s main contact to coordinate U.S. strikes on Yemen.
Caldwell’s departure comes after a Signal group chat was shared last month with a journalist as high-ranking Trump administration officials discussed military strikes in Yemen. Hegseth has repeatedly rebuked the report by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.
“Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that,” the Defense secretary said.
Last month, Hegseth’s chief of staff authorized the Pentagon’s director for Defense intelligence to use polygraphs in its investigation into “unauthorized disclosures.”
“Recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications with principals within the Office of the Secretary of Defense demand immediate and thorough investigation,” said Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff.
“Information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure,” Kasper added, would be referred “for criminal prosecution.”
