Nobody wants to work for Pete Hegseth, surprise, surprise. Hegseth is devoted to finding “leakers” in his operation. He fires aides and anybody else that he thinks might possibly be less than 100% loyal to him, which is most people, who realize that Hegseth isn’t playing with a full deck. J.D. Vance and Susie Wiles are the cavalry coming over the hill to save Hegseth from himself. At least in theory. Meanwhile, we have a Department of Defense that is crippled, during a time when foreign policy has never been shakier, Iran is gearing up to become a nuclear power and there are armed conflicts in Israel/Gaza and Ukraine. What could possibly go wrong?
Vance and Wiles have been searching for candidates who could support Hegseth ever since, according to three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official. So far, though, the administration has not had much luck identifying people who are either willing to work for Hegseth or who fit the bill politically. And the White House has rejected some people Hegseth wants to hire, while Hegseth has rejected some of the White House’s candidates.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hegseth’s allies dismissed the accounts of infighting and said he is a highly effective defense secretary.
“Not a single one of these ridiculous Pentagon palace intrigue stories points to a single thing that’s not getting done at the Pentagon because of the alleged ‘chaos,’” Arthur Schwartz, a Republican operative with close ties to the Trump administration, said in a statement. “This is the very definition of manufactured beltway drama that serves no purpose other than to keep reporters of questionable talent employed.”
Oh no, things are great at the DoD. $60 million planes fall off of aircraft carriers all the time, and senior advisors at the Pentagon are always being fired on the spot and escorted out of the building. Why would anybody think, on these facts, that nobody is minding the store? And we’re not even going to bring up SignalGate and how normal that is.
In addition to trying to assist him with hiring, the White House has taken multiple other steps to help — and manage — Hegseth.
“Vice President Vance has had Secretary Hegseth’s back since the day President Trump nominated him, and he fully supports the incredible work Pete’s doing at the Pentagon to improve military readiness and drive recruitment numbers to record highs,” Vance spokesman William Martin said in a statement.
Another White House official it was typical for the White House to be involved in staffing for key roles across government. Anna Kelly, a spokeswoman for the White House, said Hegseth enjoys “the full support” of Trump.
But last month White House officials directed Hegseth to cancel a trip to the Middle East after they learned he planned a stop in Israel, according to a current and a former official.
Instead, they put Hegseth on Air Force One to travel with President Donald Trump, who did not include Israel in his itinerary.
A different Cabinet official, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, visited Israel several weeks later and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump’s request. A person familiar with Hegseth’s planning said Noem’s trip reflected the White House’s desire to have Netanyahu meet with a trusted messenger.
Definitely, let’s have Kristi Noem doing Marco Rubio’s and Pete Hegseth’s job and then some. Maybe Kristi can chat with Vladimir and get him to stand down in Ukraine, too. I would love to know the back story to canceling Hegseth’s Middle East visit and sending Noem instead. There’s a story in that, although I’m afraid to ask what.
