Dan Caldwell , a senior adviser to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth , was escorted out of the Pentagon on April 15, 2025, following his suspension amid an ongoing probe into multiple unauthorised disclosures of sensitive information. The removal, part of a broader crackdown inside the Department of Defense, signals a deepening crisis for the Trump administration’s national security leadership—and brings renewed scrutiny to the now-infamous “SignalGate” scandal.
Caldwell wasn’t the only casualty. Darin Selnick, the Pentagon’s Deputy Chief of Staff and another political appointee, was also placed on administrative leave and removed from the building. According to defense officials, both men had their security credentials suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
What Is the Pentagon Leak Probe About?
At the centre of the investigation is a string of unauthorised disclosures that include highly sensitive operational information. Among the leaks under scrutiny:
While the exact details of each leak are still classified, sources familiar with the probe say the information appeared across both encrypted group chats and informal communications shared with Trump-aligned media outlets. One such Signal chat — the focus of SignalGate — included top-level officials like Vice President JD Vance , National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The group accidentally included a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who had been added by mistake during a group update. Unaware of the breach, members of the chat freely discussed targeting timelines for US strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, drone launch windows, and even posted celebration messages after successful missions. Goldberg would later publish excerpts in The Atlantic, triggering a national firestorm over operational security.
Who is Dan Caldwell?
Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, was a well-known figure in conservative national security circles. Before joining the Pentagon, he worked at Defense Priorities, a think tank sceptical of US interventionism, and held a senior role at Concerned Veterans for America — an organisation previously headed by Hegseth.
He was brought into the Pentagon as a senior adviser shortly after Hegseth’s confirmation in early 2025 and quickly became one of the most influential figures in the department. He advised on Ukraine policy and, according to several defense officials, was the point person for Yemen-related military coordination.
But his influence was matched by his ideological zeal. Known for his hardline stance against the so-called “deep state,” Caldwell frequently clashed with career officials and intelligence officers, particularly those advocating for more cautious engagement in global conflicts.
The Chat That Broke Security
According to Politico and Reuters, Hegseth himself named Caldwell in the Signal chat as the Pentagon’s go-to contact for the US’s Yemen campaign. The chat logs allegedly show Caldwell confirming target coordinates, celebrating confirmed kills, and—critically—forwarding operational documents that may not have been properly cleared.
Though Signal is end-to-end encrypted, the group chat proved vulnerable not because of technology, but human error. Goldberg’s inclusion gave a real-time journalist access to a high-level, unfiltered war room—one that believed it was talking among trusted peers.
Hegseth’s office had signed a memo in March authorising the Pentagon’s Director of Defense Intelligence to probe leaks and even conduct polygraphs. Ironically, the biggest breach came from within Hegseth’s own circle.
Who is Darin Selnick?
Selnick’s departure, though less publicised, is just as significant. Like Caldwell, he was a Trump loyalist with previous experience in the first Trump administration, where he served in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the White House.
He had also worked at Concerned Veterans for America and briefly carried out the responsibilities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness — giving him considerable influence over military staffing and policy implementation.
Defense officials have not confirmed the precise role Selnick played in the SignalGate debacle, but his removal on the same day suggests that he too was entangled in the unauthorised disclosure network—if not the chat itself, then parallel channels of communication.
Broader Implications
The SignalGate scandal lays bare the operational dysfunction inside Trump’s Pentagon. It has raised alarms about the use of encrypted messaging apps for real-time military coordination without adequate safeguards. That an accidental chat inclusion could compromise classified strike plans speaks to a failure not of technology but of judgment.
It also underlines the blurred boundaries between media, government, and political activism in the Trump administration’s second term. Caldwell and Selnick are part of a generation of ideologically driven appointees who view bureaucracy with suspicion and traditional protocols as obstacles to be bypassed, not rules to be followed.
The Pentagon’s Inspector General has launched a formal investigation, and watchdog groups such as American Oversight have filed lawsuits alleging violations of the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act. Legal experts warn that criminal charges are not off the table if it’s found that classified material was knowingly disseminated.
What Next?
Neither Caldwell nor Selnick has commented publicly, and the Pentagon has declined to offer further details while the investigation is ongoing.
But their removal signals a likely housecleaning within Hegseth’s inner circle, especially as Congress prepares hearings into the leak and the broader question of how military secrets are handled in the age of encrypted group chats and political warfare.
SignalGate is already being called the Trump Pentagon’s biggest internal scandal since the Iraq intelligence debacles of the early 2000s — only this time, the threat didn’t come from a foreign mole or a rogue general. It came from a chat bubble with too many “read” receipts.
Caldwell wasn’t the only casualty. Darin Selnick, the Pentagon’s Deputy Chief of Staff and another political appointee, was also placed on administrative leave and removed from the building. According to defense officials, both men had their security credentials suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
What Is the Pentagon Leak Probe About?
At the centre of the investigation is a string of unauthorised disclosures that include highly sensitive operational information. Among the leaks under scrutiny:
- Military planning for operations around the Panama Canal
- The deployment of a second US aircraft carrier to the Red Sea
- The suspension of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine
- And, perhaps most bizarrely, Elon Musk ’s controversial and previously undisclosed visit to the Pentagon
While the exact details of each leak are still classified, sources familiar with the probe say the information appeared across both encrypted group chats and informal communications shared with Trump-aligned media outlets. One such Signal chat — the focus of SignalGate — included top-level officials like Vice President JD Vance , National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The group accidentally included a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, who had been added by mistake during a group update. Unaware of the breach, members of the chat freely discussed targeting timelines for US strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, drone launch windows, and even posted celebration messages after successful missions. Goldberg would later publish excerpts in The Atlantic, triggering a national firestorm over operational security.
Who is Dan Caldwell?
Caldwell, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, was a well-known figure in conservative national security circles. Before joining the Pentagon, he worked at Defense Priorities, a think tank sceptical of US interventionism, and held a senior role at Concerned Veterans for America — an organisation previously headed by Hegseth.
He was brought into the Pentagon as a senior adviser shortly after Hegseth’s confirmation in early 2025 and quickly became one of the most influential figures in the department. He advised on Ukraine policy and, according to several defense officials, was the point person for Yemen-related military coordination.
But his influence was matched by his ideological zeal. Known for his hardline stance against the so-called “deep state,” Caldwell frequently clashed with career officials and intelligence officers, particularly those advocating for more cautious engagement in global conflicts.
The Chat That Broke Security
According to Politico and Reuters, Hegseth himself named Caldwell in the Signal chat as the Pentagon’s go-to contact for the US’s Yemen campaign. The chat logs allegedly show Caldwell confirming target coordinates, celebrating confirmed kills, and—critically—forwarding operational documents that may not have been properly cleared.
Though Signal is end-to-end encrypted, the group chat proved vulnerable not because of technology, but human error. Goldberg’s inclusion gave a real-time journalist access to a high-level, unfiltered war room—one that believed it was talking among trusted peers.
Hegseth’s office had signed a memo in March authorising the Pentagon’s Director of Defense Intelligence to probe leaks and even conduct polygraphs. Ironically, the biggest breach came from within Hegseth’s own circle.
Who is Darin Selnick?
Selnick’s departure, though less publicised, is just as significant. Like Caldwell, he was a Trump loyalist with previous experience in the first Trump administration, where he served in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the White House.
He had also worked at Concerned Veterans for America and briefly carried out the responsibilities of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness — giving him considerable influence over military staffing and policy implementation.
Defense officials have not confirmed the precise role Selnick played in the SignalGate debacle, but his removal on the same day suggests that he too was entangled in the unauthorised disclosure network—if not the chat itself, then parallel channels of communication.
Broader Implications
The SignalGate scandal lays bare the operational dysfunction inside Trump’s Pentagon. It has raised alarms about the use of encrypted messaging apps for real-time military coordination without adequate safeguards. That an accidental chat inclusion could compromise classified strike plans speaks to a failure not of technology but of judgment.
It also underlines the blurred boundaries between media, government, and political activism in the Trump administration’s second term. Caldwell and Selnick are part of a generation of ideologically driven appointees who view bureaucracy with suspicion and traditional protocols as obstacles to be bypassed, not rules to be followed.
The Pentagon’s Inspector General has launched a formal investigation, and watchdog groups such as American Oversight have filed lawsuits alleging violations of the Federal Records Act and Administrative Procedure Act. Legal experts warn that criminal charges are not off the table if it’s found that classified material was knowingly disseminated.
What Next?
Neither Caldwell nor Selnick has commented publicly, and the Pentagon has declined to offer further details while the investigation is ongoing.
But their removal signals a likely housecleaning within Hegseth’s inner circle, especially as Congress prepares hearings into the leak and the broader question of how military secrets are handled in the age of encrypted group chats and political warfare.
SignalGate is already being called the Trump Pentagon’s biggest internal scandal since the Iraq intelligence debacles of the early 2000s — only this time, the threat didn’t come from a foreign mole or a rogue general. It came from a chat bubble with too many “read” receipts.
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