Reference News website reported on April 20th according to the report of Associated Press on April 19th, three former senior advisors of US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth condemned what they called "groundless attacks" on April 19th. They were removed from the Pentagon as part of an expanding investigation into information leaks.
In the past week, four officials in Hegseth's inner circle have been dismissed, including Dan Caldwell, aide to Hegseth; Colin Carroll, chief of staff for Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Cambone; and Darin Selnick, deputy chief of staff for the Department of Defense.
Although the three were initially placed on forced leave pending investigation, a joint statement posted by Caldwell on X stated that the three were "extremely disappointed with the way their tenure at the Department of Defense has ended." Anonymous Pentagon officials attacked and defamed their characters when they left.
The post said, "So far, no reason has been given for why we are being investigated, whether the investigation is still ongoing, or whether an investigation into 'leaks' has even begun."
John Ullyot, former spokesperson for the Pentagon, also announced his resignation this week. But the Pentagon said that Ullyot was asked to resign.
This turmoil occurred just days after the Trump administration took office, with the Pentagon becoming the center of controversial actions - from firing senior officers and civilian officials to repeatedly ordering the removal of content promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. This led to the temporary removal of images of heroes such as the Tuskegee Airmen and Jackie Robinson from military websites, causing public dissatisfaction.
Last month, Hegseth announced that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the Pentagon were investigating what it described as national security information leaks.
Joe Kasper, director of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, warned in a statement that personnel at the Department of Defense may face lie detector tests during the investigation.
Prior to this, some senior officers had already been dismissed, including General Charles Q. Brown, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations; General Tim Hawke, head of the National Security Agency and Cyber Command; and Lieutenant General Shoshana Chatfield, NATO Military Committee representative for the United States. (Translated by Liu Zongya)
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495351141472010803/
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