Hegseth Top Advisor Marched Out Of Pentagon, Placed On Leave For ‘Unauthorized Disclosure’ Of Classified Information

A top advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon on Tuesday and placed on leave in connection with an investigation into leaks from the department.

Dan Caldwell, a former marine who previously worked for Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), was placed on leave for an ‘unauthorized disclosure’ according to Reuters.

“The investigation remains ongoing,” an official told the outlet, who did not provide further details about the nature of the alleged disclosure, including whether it was made to a news outlet.

The incident comes after a March 21 memo from Hegseth Chief-of-Staff Joe Kasper ordering a Pentagon investigation into leaks.

NEW: Defense Department official confirms to @realDailyWire that Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on leave related to an investigation into DOD leaks.

— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) April 15, 2025

The first Trump administration was notoriously plagued with leaks – something they’re trying to get ahead of this time around.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has employed polygraph testing in her efforts to root out suspected leakers within the DHS. Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’ assistant secretary for public affairs, issued a statement to Fox News Digital on that initiative, saying, “Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security. We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment or status as a career civil servant – we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.” -DW

Meanwhile, DNI Tulsi Gabbard has also come out hard against leaks – saying in a statement that “Politically motivated leaks undermine our national security and the trust of the American people and will not be tolerated. Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable.”

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