Apr 15, 2025 - Politics & Policy

2 top Pentagon officials put on leave amid leak investigation

Rebecca Falconer

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers a speech during the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC25), organized by Panama and the US Southern Command, in Panama City on April 9. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Panama City, Panama, last week. Photo: Franco Brana/AFP via Getty Images

The Pentagon placed two top officials on administrative leave on Tuesday as part of an investigation into leaks at the Defense Department, a department official confirmed.

The big picture: Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon building as part of an "unauthorized disclosure" investigation, Reuters first reported.

Darin Selnick, the Pentagon's deputy chief of staff, was also placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, the Defense Department official told Axios, confirming Politico's reporting on the matter.

Context: The Pentagon launched an investigation last month into "unauthorized disclosures."

Hegseth had named Caldwell as his representative in a now-infamous Trump administration Signal group chat last month, which The Atlantic's editor-in-chief was inadvertently added to as officials prepared to launch strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Go deeper: Signal chat records must be preserved, federal judge tells Trump administration

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2 top Pentagon officials put on leave amid leak investigation

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