A feud between the secretary’s advisers and his chief of staff created backbiting and distrust that has erupted into the open.
When President Donald Trump chose Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, incoming officials knew they’d need to surround the inexperienced Fox News host with accomplished staff who could handle the nation’s largest bureaucracy. Hegseth would be the show horse, they figured, and others at the top would keep the Pentagon on track.
What happened was the opposite. Hegseth surrounded himself with advisers who quickly turned into vicious rivals for power — whose bitter brawl has now unraveled into revenge power plays, surprise firings, accusations of leaking and embarrassing headlines that are blowing up the Pentagon, distracting from Trump’s agenda and possibly jeopardizing Hegseth’s job.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Just consider that they’re not starting with the finest of people.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/22/pentagon-infighting-hegseth-fired-officials-00302709