On April 15, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had one of his hitherto top advisors, Dan Caldwell, escorted away from the Pentagon after being identified during a leak investigation.
Caldwell was specifically accused of “an unauthorized disclosure.” Later, on May 27, he would be accused of leaking plans for the invasion of the Panama Canal. The investigation stemmed from a March 21 memo by Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper, who requested an investigation into leaks.
Caldwell was a significant member of the national security community. In the leaked Signal text thread, Hegseth called Caldwell “the best staff point of contact for the National Security Council” as the military prepared to strike the Houthis.
There is a high likelihood that Caldwell was removed more in the context of office politics than any lack of merit. Kasper requested his termination even though the Air Force Office of Special Investigations only looked into Caldwell the weekend the before his firing, after mostly focusing on mid-level aids. Hegseth’s lawyer, Tim Parlatore, also lied about the circumstances surrounding Caldwell’s firing.
