Pete Hegseth Top Advisor Placed on Leave in Pentagon Leak Probe

Dan Caldwell, top adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday after being identified in an investigation into internal leaks, a U.S. official told Reuters.

Caldwell has been placed on administrative leave due to what the official described as "an unauthorized disclosure." The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the action had not been publicly reported before Tuesday.

The DOD has faced recent scrutiny after Hegseth and other top Trump Cabinet officials engaged in a Signal group chat, which included a journalist, while discussing war plans.

Signal is an encrypted messaging app. The handling of the sensitive military discussions among Trump's brass also triggered widespread U.S. security concerns.

Hegseth has repeatedly rebuked the initial report from Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic: "Nobody was texting war plans, and that's all I have to say about that." National security adviser Mike Waltz also took a swipe at Goldberg last month, calling him the "bottom scum of journalists."

According to Reuters national security reporter Phil Stewart on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Caldwell was placed on leave after a memo issued on March 21 ordered an investigation into Pentagon leaks.

The order was issued by Hegseth's chief of staff (Joe Kasper), Stewart said.

Fox News Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin also confirmed Reuters' report, posting to X on Tuesday: "Fox can confirm @Reuters reporting below. Top Hegseth advisor Dan Caldwell escorted from the building, being investigated for 'unauthorized disclosure' of classified information. 'We can confirm the Reuters reporting is accurate, but we do not comment on ongoing investigations,' a senior US official told @FoxNews."

A defense official also confirmed to Newsweek that Caldwell was placed on leave for 'unauthorized disclosure' but wouldn't elaborate because it's an ongoing investigation.

Griffin then linked to the exclusive from Reuters, which was first to report on Caldwell's departure.

In the Signal chat group, Hegseth named Caldwell as the department's best point of contact in the thread.

Reuters correspondent Erin Banco on X on Tuesday: "This is a big deal. Caldwell was integral to the Pentagon/admin's Ukraine policy, especially when it came to discussions around continued military support for Kyiv Great get by @phildstewart"

Paul Rieckhoff, veteran of the Iraq War who founded the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, on X on Tuesday: "Maybe overdue accountability is finally starting after SignalGate. Dan Caldwell is well-known in Washington as the former head of Hegseth's former partisan political group, Concerned Veterans of America."

Rieckhoff added,"He also has loved to troll me on this platform over the years. A lapse of discipline or judgement would not be surprising. They are not just radical. They are sloppy and incompetent. That puts our national security at risk. And has our enemies celebrating."

Hegseth on X amid the aftermath of the backlash of the Signal chat being released: "Instead of only talking about hoaxes, I'd like to put the focus back on our warfighters! Anyone that knows me and @POTUS knows how much we love the warriors. That's what it's about."

It is immediately unknown at the time of publication what exactly led up to Caldwell being placed on leave or how long the leave is expected to last.