One of the top Pentagon staffers fired following an investigation into leaks described a ‘Jekyl and Hyde’-style Defense Department under Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Colin Carroll was the chief of staff for Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg who was suspended and then fired following the probe.
He followed Darin Selnick, the Pentagon‘s deputy chief of staff, and Dan Caldwell – a senior adviser to Hegseth – out the door.
All three have disputed their reasons for firing and Carroll went public in an interview with Megyn Kelly on Monday, where he described Hegseth as often great in the job but increasingly temperamental.
‘I have observed a Pete that is one Pete and crushes it in meetings… At the same time, I’ve seen the Secretary in more internal meetings where he is super focused on, like, very, in my opinion, weird details, and very agitated and kind of like yelling, and just nothing’s good,’ he said when Kelly asked him if Hegseth is ‘okay.’
‘So it’s like a tale of two Petes. And I’m gonna be honest, I’m not the person to ask about what he was like before, and I don’t know. I’m just telling you what I observed in the 90 days that I was there.’
Unlike Selnick and Caldwell and spokesperson John Ullyot – who resigned at around the same time – Carroll doesn’t claim to have been close to Hegseth before his work at the Pentagon.
Carroll accused Hegseth of making his team ‘consumed’ by the leaks, with it taking up ’50 percent’ of the Defense Secretary’s day.
Colin Carroll (pictured), one of the top Pentagon staffers fired following an investigation into leaks described a ‘Jekyl and Hyde’-style Defense Department under Secretary Pete Hegseth
Colin Carroll was the chief of staff for Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg who was suspended and then fired by Hegseth (pictured) following the probe
Hegseth is also very concerned with projecting an image of competence in the job, often by showing himself working out with soldiers.
Carroll claimed that this is part of an effort to shut down jokes about Hegseth’s history with alcohol.
‘In order to combat that image, it’s ‘hey, I’m gonna go work out with the troops,’ Carroll said.
He said that while it ‘helps morale’ it wasn’t necessarily the best use of Hegseth’s time.
‘If you’re taking a half day trip to the Naval Academy at the same time the budget is due, and we really need some support here … come on, you gotta weigh priorities.’
New Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell ardently defended Hegseth in a statement to DailyMail.com
‘Secretary Hegseth has delivered more change to the DoD in 100 days that most Secretaries have in four years,’ he said.
Parnell cited increases in recruitment, a 379% boost of troops at the southern border to stop the migrant crisis, military successes against Houthi rebels and ‘the eradication of DEI’ from the Pentagon.
Unlike Selnick and Caldwell and spokesperson John Ullyot – who resigned at around the same time – Carroll (pictured left) doesn’t claim to have been close to Hegseth before his work at the Pentagon
Carroll accused Hegseth (pictured) of making his team ‘consumed’ by the leaks, with it taking up ’50 percent’ of the Defense Secretary’s day
‘While the fake news media – who ignored the chaos created by the previous administration – focuses on gossip, we’re focused on RESULTS,’ he added.
Hegseth’s Chief of Staff Joe Kasper is also set to resign in the coming days, Politico reported.
The Defense Secretary has been furious about leaks in the department, telling Fox News ‘I don’t have time for leakers’ or the ‘hoax press that peddles old stories from disgruntled employees.’
‘Disgruntled former employees are peddling things to try to save their a**,’ he said.
Among the leaks were details of his trip to the Panama Canal and a China briefing with Elon Musk that was ultimately canceled personally by President Trump himself according to reports.
Former Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot published an op-ed in Politico claiming that the first month of Hegseth’s leadership was ‘a month of total chaos’ and warned that his days were numbered in the Pentagon.
Hegseth was dismissive of Ullyot’s op-ed, pointing to unprofessional behavior.
‘Anybody that knows John knows why we let him go. We did a lot of favors for John. He did some good work up front, then he was moved along,’ he told Fox News.
Hegseth (pictured center) is also very concerned with projecting an image of competence in the job, often by showing himself working out with soldiers. Carroll claimed that this is part of an effort to shut down jokes about Hegseth’s history with alcohol
Hegseth acknowledged that the investigation was disruptive as it pointed at longtime advisors but reasserted he was committed to stopping the leaks.
‘It led to some unfortunate places, people I have known for quite some time. But it’s not my job to protect them. It’s my job to protect national security, the president of the United States, and let the investigation go where it is,’ he said.
He vowed to remain in his job as long as he continued to have the president’s support.
‘I haven’t blinked, and I won’t blink because this job is too big and too important for the American people and I’m grateful for every opportunity the president has given me,’ he said.
