Trump-Era Official Removed Amid Leak Investigation
A top aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been placed on administrative leave and escorted out of the Pentagon, according to a Defense Department source.
The advisor, Dan Caldwell, was suspended for “unauthorized disclosure” of sensitive material, as first reported by Reuters. A Department of Defense official confirmed the suspension to Fox News Digital but offered no additional comments due to the “ongoing inquiry.”
Caldwell, known for his “realist” views on foreign policy, previously worked alongside Hegseth at conservative advocacy groups like Defense Priorities and Concerned Veterans for America. He has consistently pushed for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and Syria, and reducing America’s “military footprint” across Europe.
Back in March, the Pentagon launched a formal initiative to locate those behind “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information.” As part of the process, officials stated they would begin using polygraph tests to track down those responsible.
“The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy,” DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper outlined in a memo, further noting, “This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.”
That report, according to the memo, would document all instances of “unauthorized disclosures” and provide “recommendations to improve such efforts.” Kasper also emphasized that individuals identified through the investigation would be referred for “criminal prosecution.”
Caldwell’s close ties to Hegseth were further highlighted in a private Signal chat that discussed U.S. military strikes on the Houthis, in which Hegseth identified Caldwell as the Pentagon’s “point of contact.” The chat’s confidentiality was compromised when National Security Advisor Mike Waltz reportedly invited The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the conversation by mistake.
This internal crackdown follows similar steps taken by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, both of which have announced plans to use lie detector tests to root out internal leakers. The Defense Department’s directive came shortly after former President Donald Trump denied a New York Times report alleging that Elon Musk would receive a classified Pentagon briefing regarding “war plans” with China.
Trump firmly denied the report, stating he would not share such plans “with anybody.”
So far, there's “no proof” that Caldwell was involved in the leak related to the China report, and it remains unclear what specific material may have been released, according to Fox.
Bloomberg also reported that Kasper called for an investigation into “unauthorized disclosures” following the Times article, affirming that “polygraphs” would be a central part of the probe. He reiterated that any confirmed leakers would “be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution.”
Elon Musk also weighed in on the controversy, posting on X that “The New York Times is pure propaganda,” and sharing a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social rebuttal. “I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found,” Musk wrote.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently shared similar sentiments, stating in a social media video that her department had already used polygraph tests to uncover two individuals who leaked internal information.
Her team had identified “two leakers of information here at the Department of Homeland Security,” whom she accused of “putting law enforcement lives in jeopardy.” She added, “We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done.”
“We’re going to continue to do all that we can to keep America safe,” Noem concluded.