Pentagon Turmoil Reportedly Escalates as Another Top Official Exits Amid Leak Investigation: ‘I’ll Hook You up to a F–king Polygraph’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon team is experiencing further upheaval as former chief of staff Joe Kasper has decided to depart the Department of Defense entirely, according to bombshell reports. 

Initially expected to remain in another capacity after stepping down as chief of staff last week, Kasper will instead move to the private sector amid growing internal tensions that have rocked the defense establishment’s upper echelons.

The departure follows Kasper’s controversial memo announcing an investigation into “unauthorized disclosures of sensitive and classified information” throughout the Defense Department. 

This probe has already resulted in three high-level officials being escorted from the Pentagon last week: senior adviser Dan Caldwell, former deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense. 

The dramatic removals have sent shockwaves through the defense community and raised questions about management practices within Hegseth’s team.

Sources indicate the investigation was triggered after Hegseth became furious when news of Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk’s March visit to the Pentagon leaked to the New York Times. 

The security breach reportedly provoked an intense reaction from the Defense Secretary. 

Hegseth’s response was explosive, per the Wall Street Journal, involving allegedly shouting at then-acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady, “I’ll hook you up to a f–king polygraph!”

Hegseth reportedly made similar threats to Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, whom he also accused of being responsible for the leak. 

Kasper’s March memo specifically mentioned that polygraph tests could be administered “in accordance with applicable law and policy” during the investigation, though it remains unclear if any officials actually underwent such testing as part of the leak probe.

The three fired officials have not remained silent about their dismissals. 

In a public rebuke of the official narrative, they released a joint statement challenging the explanation for their removal. 

“All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it,” they wrote in a statement posted to X by Caldwell last week.

The trio claimed they still haven’t been informed about the specifics of the investigation against them, whether it remains active, “or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with.” 

A source told the New York Post that the firings may have stemmed from a “turf war” involving Kasper, who allegedly “felt threatened that more and more of his portfolio… was being given to” Selnick and Caldwell. 

The responsibilities in question reportedly included “recommendations on appointments, decisions on high-level official visits and official travel planning” and other weekly priorities. T

Kasper perceived his authority was being undermined as responsibilities traditionally under his purview were increasingly assigned to others, according to the source. The Post reports that the Pentagon has not responded to requests for comment on these developments, maintaining silence as speculation grows about the internal discord.

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