Top DOD Officials Under Hegseth Fired Amid Leak Probe: Reports

Department of Defense (DOD) officials, who were previously placed on administrative leave under Secretary Pete Hegseth, have been terminated, as per a statement issued by an individual on Saturday and media reports on Friday.

The DOD has been under intense scrutiny after Hegseth and other high-ranking Trump Cabinet officials were involved in a Signal group chat, discussing imminent war plans, which included a journalist. Signal is an encrypted messaging app, and the mishandling of sensitive military discussions among Trump’s top officials has raised significant U.S. security concerns.

Hegseth and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz have refuted claims made by Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, about the content of the chat. President Donald Trump supported Hegseth and Waltz in the aftermath, tasking Waltz with investigating the incident.

Following a March memo from Joe Kasper, Hegseth’s chief of staff, an investigation was launched into internal leaks at the department involving sensitive communications. According to reports, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, top adviser Dan Caldwell, and Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, were fired after being placed on leave. Selnick and Carroll are planning to sue for wrongful termination.

Kasper is also under review as part of the investigation, and he is stepping down from his role as chief of staff to Hegseth. A joint statement by Caldwell, Carroll, and Selnick expressed disappointment with the way their service at the DOD ended, denying baseless character attacks.

When asked for comment on the reported firings, a DOD official confirmed that Carroll, Caldwell, and Selnick were on administrative leave pending investigation. No final decisions have been made regarding senior staffing changes.

It remains to be seen if more DOD officials will face administrative leave as the probe continues.