The White House continues to support the embattled Defense secretary — but even some Hegseth allies privately express concern that his messy management style could become his undoing.
When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired several members of his inner circle this spring, accusing them of leaking, the White House and top allies rallied behind him. Since then, many of those same people have come to privately believe Hegseth’s allegations were false.
After MAGA heavyweights from Tucker Carlson to Megyn Kelly began interviewing the ousted employees proclaiming their innocence, some White House officials and people close to Vice President JD Vance privately asked for proof of Hegseth’s accusations, according to four people familiar with what happened. Hegseth’s team indicated they did not have evidence, three of the people said.
At least a half-dozen people across senior levels of the administration — including senior White House officials as well as high-ranking individuals at the Pentagon, State Department and in Trump’s national security apparatus — have reached out to the fired employees to get their side of the story, according to the same four people. They expressed regret over the situation, and suggested the men — Dan Caldwell, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll — had been wrongfully accused.
To President Donald Trump, it doesn’t matter much.
When it comes to the embattled secretary, the White House continues to stand by Hegseth. Despite controversy after controversy, bad headline after bad headline, Trump and his inner circle maintain that when it comes to protecting the nation, Hegseth’s performance has been solid.
The fact that he’s still standing — even after appearing to falsely smear his former friends — shows the lengths to which the president is willing to turn a blind eye to the chaos engulfing the Pentagon for a Cabinet official he’s long been enamored with.
“A lot of people swirl shit to try to take him down, honestly — but talk of drama with him is overblown,” as one senior White House official, who like others in this story were granted anonymity to speak frankly about internal dynamics, told me recently. “What I know is that everyone who matters has his back completely, currently.”