Pete Hegseth’s extra centered on staging photograph ops than taking actual motion, in line with an inside participant.
RadarOnline.com can reveal a former high aide to Hegseth has blasted the Pentagon, accusing its management of being consumed by paranoia and ditching actual management – simply the newest bombshell in a rising listing of scathing assaults on the Protection Division.
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Colin Carroll claimed Hegseth spent half his time looking leaks as an alternative of specializing in actual protection issues.
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Colin Carroll, freshly fired as chief of employees to the deputy protection secretary, dropped bombshells on the Megyn Kelly podcast – claiming Hegseth was obsessive about looking down leaks, losing half his time on witch hunts as an alternative of dealing with actual protection enterprise.
Carroll, who was let go throughout a leak investigation, defined: “He was very centered on the leaks, and I feel it form of consumed the staff a little bit bit.
“For those who take a look at a pie chart of the secretary’s day, at this level, 50 % of it’s most likely a leak investigation.”
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Hegseth has shot down rumors he has a wild aspect, particularly with regard to heavy ingesting and being undisciplined.
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His dismissal adopted a brutal conflict amongst Hegseth’s high advisers, together with Joe Kasper, his former chief of employees.
Hegseth’s senior adviser, Dan Caldwell, and deputy chief of employees, Darin Selnick, had been additionally let go in the course of the leak probe. Kasper exited the division simply final week.
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Carroll went on to color an image of a secretary obsessed along with his public picture of energy and management.
Hegseth’s staff often movies his early morning exercises with the troops, a transfer Carroll claimed is a transparent try to squash rumors of his wild aspect – like being undisciplined and a heavy drinker – rumors that had adopted him throughout his affirmation listening to.
The protection secretary, after all, shortly shot them down on the time.
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Carroll defined: “So as to fight that picture, it’s ‘hey, I’m gonna go work out with the troops.’
“Whereas that’s necessary, and it is a factor to do to get on the market and helps recruiting and helps morale, in case you’re taking a half day journey to the Naval Academy on the identical time the finances is due, and we actually want some help right here… come on, you gotta weigh priorities.”
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Pentagon mouthpiece Sean Parnell fired again on the backlash, touting a troop surge on the southern border, bombings in Yemen, and scrapped DOGE contracts as proof Hegseth is shaking issues up.
He stated: “Secretary Hegseth has delivered extra change to the DOD in 100 days than most secretaries have in 4 years,” he bragged, whereas the media “focuses on gossip, we’re centered on outcomes.”
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The fired aide painted a dramatic “story of two Petes” – one, a sharp-tongued dealmaker who may win over Republicans on protection money, the opposite, a jittery boss obsessive about weird particulars and vulnerable to heated blowups behind closed doorways.
Carroll claimed Deputy Protection Secretary Steve Feinberg personally assured him his job was secure, even after the purge of high staffers.
Now, Carroll says he is desperate to make a comeback on the Pentagon to work alongside Feinberg.
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President Donald Trump continues to be on Hegseth’s aspect regardless of all of the scrutiny towards the protection secretary.
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In the meantime, along with his internal circle gutted, Hegseth is leaning on a tight-knit crew that features his spouse Jennifer, his private lawyer and a former low-level army aide.
The Pentagon rolled out three contemporary faces to Hegseth’s shrinking advisory staff on Thursday: Col. Ricky Buria, his former army sidekick; Justin Fulcher, a tech entrepreneur and DOGE insider; and Patrick Weaver, a Trump-era DHS and Capitol Hill alum with zero Pentagon expertise.
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President Trump, in a Monday tell-all with The Atlantic, made it clear he is conserving a pointy eye on the chaos swirling round Hegseth’s crew.
He stated of Hegseth: “He’s gonna get it collectively. I had a chat with him, a constructive discuss, however I had a chat with him.”
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After Trump’s touch upon Hegseth, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was placed on the spot by a reporter who requested: “Does (Trump) suppose Hegseth does not ‘have it collectively’ proper now?”
Leavitt responded: “The president has made his place on Secretary Hegseth fairly clear.
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“He completely has confidence within the secretary’s potential to steer the Pentagon, it is why he nominated him for this place.”
She added: “He will stay centered on standing up for our warfighters, on implementing President Trump’s peace by way of energy international coverage agenda overseas and the president helps him in his function.”
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Hegseth is leaning on a tight-knit crew that features his spouse Jennifer, his private lawyer, and a former low-level army aide.
On the White Home Easter Egg Roll earlier this month, Trump additionally stated: “He is doing an important job. It is simply pretend information. They only convey up tales. I suppose it feels like disgruntled staff.
“He was put there to eliminate a number of dangerous individuals, and that is what he is doing, so you do not at all times have associates whenever you try this.”
The president additional urged: “Ask the Houthis how a lot dysfunction there’s. There’s none. Pete’s doing an important job. Everyone’s pleased with him.”