One of the key advisors to American Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Dan Caldwell, was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday after being identified as a potential suspect in an investigation into leaks from the Department of Defense, an American official told Reuters.
Caldwell has been placed on administrative leave for „unauthorized disclosure” of information, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"The investigation remains ongoing," the official mentioned, without providing details on the nature of the alleged disclosures, including whether they were made to a journalist or someone else.
The culprit for the Signal scandal has been found
President Donald Trump's administration has taken aggressive steps to pursue information leaks, an effort that was enthusiastically welcomed by Hegseth at the Pentagon.
A memo dated March 21 signed by Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, requested an investigation into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications."
Kasper's note left open the possibility of a polygraph test, although it was not clear if Caldwell underwent one.
Although Caldwell is not as well-known as other top Pentagon officials, he played an essential role as an advisor to Hegseth.
His importance was highlighted in a chain of messages on Signal revealed by The Atlantic last month. In that chat, Hegseth referred to Caldwell as the best point of contact for the National Security Council in preparing for strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen.
A promoter of American isolationism
Caldwell has drawn attention in Washington for past opinions that critics have labeled isolationist, but supporters say they sought to reshape America's defense priorities.
A Marine Corps veteran who was deployed to Iraq, Caldwell was quoted as saying before going to the Pentagon that America would have been better off if U.S. troops had stayed home. "I think the Iraq war was a monstrous crime," Caldwell told the Financial Times in December 2024.
He has also been skeptical of U.S. military aid to Ukraine and advocated for the U.S. withdrawal from Europe.
The decision to place Caldwell on administrative leave is separate from the wave of dismissals since Hegseth, a former Fox News host and army veteran, took over the Pentagon in January.
Among these dismissals were the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, the Chief of Naval Operations, the head of U.S. Cyber Command, and the top U.S. military lawyers. Last week, the U.S. military representative to the NATO military committee was dismissed.