WASHINGTON — Secretary of Conflict Pete Hegseth’s “paranoia” about Military Secretary Dan Driscoll taking his job fueled the firing of the Military’s prime basic, present and former administration officers inform The Put up — as a prime contender emerges to exchange Driscoll if he’s canned subsequent.
Hegseth on Thursday demanded the resignation of Military Chief of Employees Gen. Randy George’s — Driscoll’s prime aide — in the midst of the Iran conflict for causes that weren’t publicly said, following months of mounting tensions with Driscoll.
“That is all pushed by the insecurity and paranoia that Pete has developed since Signalgate. Sadly, it’s stoked by a few of his closest aides who must be making an attempt to calm the waters,” an administration official mentioned, referencing Hegseth’s March 2025 army group chat with prime nationwide safety officers that inadvertently added a reporter.
Two different Military generals — Gen. David Hodne of the Military’s Transformation and Coaching Command and Maj. Gen. William Inexperienced of the Military’s Chaplain Corps — have been dismissed within the purge, with the division solely saying “it was time for a management change.”
“[Hegseth] has bought a giant battle with Driscoll. And he’s been informed by the White Home he can’t fireplace Driscoll, at the least for the second,” a supply near the Trump administration mentioned.
“[Hegseth] may be very involved about being fired and he is aware of that Driscoll is without doubt one of the prime contenders, or a pure contender, to succeed him. So what Pete has been doing is taking anybody he perceives to be shut with Driscoll and going after them. And that is the most recent and most spectacular [example] of that.”
Driscoll is a detailed pal of Vice President JD Vance, with whom he attended Yale Legislation Faculty after each males served within the Iraq Conflict. His identify was floated as a potential Hegseth successor final summer season and the Pentagon boss’s suspicions deepened final fall when Driscoll served as a Ukraine conflict negotiator.
“This isn’t simply a type of issues the place Pete is concentrated on DEI. That’s not what that is about. He retains going after the Military specifically,” the second individual mentioned.
“Primarily Hegseth has frozen him out and tried to sideline him behind the scenes. Hegseth needs to fireside him, however Vance has his again.”
The paranoia isn’t completely with out advantage — with President Trump publicly praising Driscoll’s efficiency final 12 months. The Military secretary function served as a springboard throughout Trump’s first time period when Mark Esper vaulted from the service department to exchange fired James Mattis as protection secretary.
John Ullyot, a Marine Corps veteran who served in nationwide safety roles in each of Trump’s administrations, informed The Put up that Driscoll “is the true deal, and Hegseth can’t stand when Military generals present Driscoll the respect he has earned by his service.”
Hegseth spox might exchange Driscoll
An administration official mentioned that Hegseth’s prime spokesman Sean Parnell is “pushing himself” to be Military secretary if Driscoll is finally fired.
Parnell was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Coronary heart for his service in Afghanistan and a Division of Conflict colleague mentioned he could be an apparent choice if a emptiness emerges.
“Sean is concentrated on the job he has now, as is Military Secretary Driscoll. It wouldn’t be out of line to invest that Sean could be thought-about as a successor as he is without doubt one of the highest profile Military veterans serving on the prime of [the] division proper now,” the division official mentioned.
“However each males are centered on serving the president and doing the job they’d now.”
An Military official added to The Put up that “it’s very regular to assume that Sean Parnell has a shot to be the successor to Driscoll if Driscoll have been to go away.”
“Sean Parnell is humble. He’s a humble chief,” this official mentioned.
Parnell didn’t particularly tackle his personal future, however informed The Put up that Hegseth has an “glorious” relationship with Driscoll.
“Secretary Hegseth maintains glorious working relationships with the secretaries of each army service department, together with Military Secretary Dan Driscoll,” Parnell mentioned.
‘Underneath Hegseth’s pores and skin’
There’s no indication that Trump is ready to right away dismiss both Hegseth or Driscoll, however the conflict heightens the stakes for every.
Trump’s current cupboard shuffles — together with firing Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem final month and Lawyer Normal Pam Bondi on Thursday — has amplified the jockeying, with insiders saying it couldn’t come at a worse time as Trump tries to venture energy to finish the Iran conflict.
The Iranian authorities trolled the US on social media Friday, writing, “The regime change occurred efficiently” with X marks over photographs of army brass who had been fired.
The second supply mentioned that Driscoll’s fleeting function in Ukraine negotiations in November was an essential inflection level.
“Pete bought very paranoid about Driscoll speaking behind his again to others within the army. The ultimate straw for Pete was when Vance bought Driscoll to go over to Ukraine to be the chief negotiator for that one assembly,” the supply mentioned.
“It’s actually gotten below Hegseth’s pores and skin. He’s making an attempt to make everybody round [Driscoll] undergo for no motive.”
This individual famous “the optics of firing the Military’s prime basic the day after the president spoke to a skeptical public” in regards to the Iran conflict.
“This undermines fully the tone and the message that the president needs to ship that the conflict goes effectively,” he mentioned.
