Report: Security Took Hegseth Aide Out of Pentagon

A top aide to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday after he was identified in an investigation of leaks of sensitive information, sources tell outlets including Reuters and Fox News. The sources say Dan Caldwell, one of Hegseth's senior advisors, has been placed on administrative leave during the ongoing investigation. Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran, has ties to Hegseth going back more than a decade. He served as policy director, and later as executive director, at Concerned Veterans for America, the conservative nonprofit Hegseth used to lead, the AP reports.

Caldwell, known for his isolationist views, advised Hegseth on military operations around the world and was named by Hegseth as a point of contact during the Signal chat about strikes on Yemen, the New York Times reports. In a March 21 memo, Joe Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff, said the Pentagon was investigating "unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications" and polygraphs could be used. "I expect to be informed immediately if this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure, and that such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution," Kasper said. (More Department of Defense stories.)