Crisis escalates at the Pentagon as another top official is suspended in growing leak scandal rocking Pete Hegseth’s inner circle

The chaos within the Pentagon still mounts as yet another high-ranking official, US deputy chief of staff, Darin Selnick, has been suspended as part of a probe into leaks in the department that happened during the Signal group chat scandal, as per a report.

Another Top Official Suspended in Growing Scandal Tied to Signal Chat Group

The suspension of Selnick is tied directly to the same internal investigation that saw senior adviser to defence secretary Pete Hegseth, Dan Caldwell, put on administrative leave just last week, according to the Daily Mail. Both officials were escorted from the Pentagon on Tuesday, as per the report.

A defence official on anonymity told Daily Mail that, "The investigation remains ongoing," however, the official did not give any details about the nature of the alleged disclosure, as reported by Daily Mail.


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Ongoing Pentagon Investigation

The latest move comes after Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, ordered in a March 21 memo to conduct a Pentagon investigation into the leaks, according to the report. In his memo, Kasper mentioned that, "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," quoted Daily Mail.

He had also said, "The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be in accordance with applicable law and policy," as quoted in the report.

However, the officials have not disclosed what leaks are being investigated, but there has been a crackdown across the Pentagon and the Trump administration on the disclosure of sensitive or classified information, which started even before news of the Signal chat emerged on March 24, reported the Daily Mail.

FAQs

Why was Selnick suspended?
He’s under investigation for possible involvement in unauthorized leaks tied to the Signal group chat.

What is the Signal group chat?
It’s a private messaging group reportedly used by national security officials to discuss military planning.