One of three senior advisors that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired last week over leaks has since suggested he’s been framed.
As previously reported, last week Hegseth initially placed then-Senior Adviser Dan Caldwell, Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, Chief of Staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg, on leave as per a probe into a leak.
A couple of days later, all three men were fired.
Now, flash forward to Monday, when conservative commentator and interviewer Tucker Carlson published a stunning hour-and-a-half-long video interview with Caldwell in particular.
Dan Caldwell was one of the strongest voices at the Pentagon opposing war with Iran. Then he was falsely accused of leaking classified documents and fired.
(0:00) Introduction
(1:10) What Would Happen if the US Went to War With Iran?
(9:13) The Real Reason the US Invaded Iraq… pic.twitter.com/JUktfTIySd— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) April 21, 2025
The interview began with Caldwell claiming right off the bat that he did “absolutely not” leak any content to an NBC reporter and that he and the other two men were targeted for saying things Pentagon staffers didn’t want to hear.
“I was out there advancing things that a lot of people in the foreign policy establishment didn’t want,” he explained. “It doesn’t justify what’s happening to me, but let’s just be honest — that is the nature of the games played in D.C.”
“We were threatening a lot of established interests in our own separate ways, and we had people who had personal vendettas against us. And I think they weaponized the [leak] investigation against us,” he added.
When asked to be more specific, Caldwell pointed to his views regarding a war with Iran — which is something he staunchly believes the Trump administration should avoid.
“I think there clearly is a very strong coalition within the United States that wants to see another war in the Middle East, and it crosses both parties,” he said.
Hegseth’s Senior Defense Adviser Dan Caldwell has been placed on leave by the Pentagon after an alleged “unauthorized disclosure.”
Caldwell is critical of America’s one-sided relationship with Israel and opposes war with Iran.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/EQGCJxawno
— AF Post (@AFpost) April 16, 2025
He added that he doesn’t believe the leak investigation was even real, per se.
“There’s a lot of evidence that there is not a real investigation, but again, sitting here right now, there are a lot of unknowns about this,” he said.
As evidence that the investigation wasn’t real/legit, Caldwell noted that he was never polygraphed or made to turn over his electronic devices. This shocked Carlson.
“You’re being accused of leaking classified information, but the people accusing you would have no way of knowing whether you did that or not because they haven’t polygraphed you or taken your devices, your private devices,” he said in disbelief.
If he’s accused of a serious crime, why is he doing a sit-down interview three days later without a lawyer present?
I think he’s full of shit.
— Brenden Dilley (@WarlordDilley) April 21, 2025
Caldwell went on to suggest that the real leakers are people within the Defense Department who oppose the Trump administration’s agenda.
He also described the impact that these allegedly false allegations and his termination have had.
“Sometimes I feel like it hasn’t fully set in because it does feel like a dream. It’s like, ‘when am I gonna wake up?'” he said. “It’s been awful. I mean, the impact on my family… It’s been devastating, and it’s caused a lot of stress to my family.”
”I’ve been a friend and supporter of Pete Hegseth for a long time, and I’m just personally devastated by this. It’s just awful and whatnot,” he added.
Caldwell continued by saying he still believes Hegseth, his longtime friend, is the right man to serve as defense secretary, but does appear to believe the people around him could use some shaking up.
“At the end of the day, putting all this aside, Pete Hegseth needs to be a successful Secretary of Defense, and the entire Department of Defense cannot continue to be consumed by chaos,” he said.
Concluding his remarks, Caldwell thanked Carlson for also being against a war with Iran.
“Tucker, it’s been an honor to be here, and I just want to say I think you should feel proud because you have played a key role in helping stop some really bad stuff in foreign policy,” he said. “Your platform has really helped turn the tide, I think, in a lot of different ways, and I think you deserve a lot of credit.”
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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