Jaw-Dropper: Susan Rice Is Still at the Pentagon, Even as Trump Is President and Hegseth Is SecDef

A former top adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was dismissed last week during a probe into media leaks from the Pentagon, has spoken out — and he’s deflecting blame.

Dan Caldwell, now on “administrative leave,” shared his side of the story in an interview released Monday with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson. According to Caldwell, the Pentagon harbors many individuals who are hostile to President Donald Trump and the goals of his administration — and that, he claimed, is “where the leaks are coming from.”

However, Caldwell didn’t stop there. He hinted at a “less obvious place” that could also be connected — and then dropped a name that surprised many who recall a particularly controversial moment from Barack Obama’s presidency.

Caldwell disclosed that Susan Rice, the Obama-era U.N. ambassador, currently sits on the Defense Policy Board, a group that advises the Defense secretary.

“Now, that doesn’t mean she can go in the building and get access whenever she wants,” Caldwell explained, “but it means that she works with DoD employees. She can interact with them and has the credential and the affiliation with the Department of Defense.”

Caldwell then invoked one of Rice’s most contentious moments — her defense of the administration’s narrative following the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya. Rice, acting on behalf of the Obama administration, appeared on multiple news programs suggesting the deadly incident — which left a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans dead — was spurred by a provocative video about the Prophet Muhammad, not a premeditated terror attack.

At the time, Hillary Clinton was serving as secretary of state, and with a critical election on the horizon, the administration was reportedly eager to avoid the perception of vulnerability on terrorism. Rice’s statements have since been heavily criticized, and as Caldwell put it, her most notable “credential” may be her role in promoting what many now view as a deliberate deception.

Rice wasn’t the only individual Caldwell highlighted. He also mentioned Eric Edelman, a former national security advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney and a close ally of Liz Cheney — a fierce Trump critic — as well as Michèle Flournoy, a prominent Democratic figure who was once considered for the top Pentagon job in the Biden administration.

Still, it was Rice’s inclusion — and her association with the “lies” that shrouded the Benghazi tragedy — that resonated most strongly across social media.

Though the Defense Policy Board itself does not wield executive power, its influence lies in shaping long-term strategy and policy recommendations for the Pentagon. Near the end of Trump’s first term, he made headlines by removing several members from the board.

With Caldwell’s interview likely to stir debate, there’s already speculation that a second Trump administration could initiate a similar reshuffle — this time right from the start.