More Pentagon advisors 'placed on administrative leave' amid Dept. Defense leak probe

In a world where loyalty is as rare as finding a Netflix show that doesn't have an LGBTQ situation and where leaks flow like a breached dam, the Pentagon finds itself embroiled in a scandal that would make even the most seasoned cynic raise an eyebrow. 

Two more Defense Department deputy chiefs of staff, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, have been unceremoniously placed on administrative leave, joining Pete Hegseth’s trusted adviser, Dan Caldwell, who was frog-marched out of the Pentagon after being fingered in a leak. The scene is less John le Carré and more a bureaucratic purge, but the stakes are no less severe.

On Tuesday, Selnick, a retired Air Force officer with a storied career in veterans’ advocacy, was sidelined. His Pentagon bio, with a touch of bureaucratic grandiosity, declares, “Mr. Selnick leverages his extensive government and non-government experience advocating for veterans to position Service members for productive post-separation lives from the first day they put on a uniform.” 

Noble words, now overshadowed by suspicion. 

The very next day, Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, followed him into the administrative abyss. Both men, alongside Caldwell, are now under the microscope for the same unauthorized disclosure—a breach that has the Pentagon’s corridors buzzing with intrigue.

Are these leaks prison-worthy? One can only hope.

Caldwell, we’re told by Reuters, was suspended for “an unauthorized disclosure,” a phrase that sounds clinical but carries the weight of betrayal. The details, as ever, are murky, but Politico whispers of a leak involving Panama Canal plans and a visit from the enigmatic Special Government Employee Elon Musk—whether past or forthcoming remains unclear, a detail lost in the fog of Washington’s rumor mill. 

This is not mere gossip; it’s a fissure in the heart of national security.

DOD Chief of Staff Joe Kasper, in a memo that reeks of grim resolve, wrote, “The use of polygraphs in the execution of this investigation will be Benton Smith bensmith@protonmail.com (mailto:bensmith@protonmail.com) in accordance with applicable law and policy. This investigation will commence immediately and culminate in a report to the Secretary of Defense.” 

Polygraphs—lie detectors, for the uninitiated—are now the order of the day, a stark reminder that trust is in short supply. Don't you wish Nancy Pelosi would have to take one regarding J6?

What binds these men, beyond their current disgrace? Selnick and Caldwell both cut their teeth at Concerned Veterans for America, a group once helmed by Hegseth himself. Coincidence? Perhaps. But in Washington, where every move is scrutinized and every alliance suspect, such connections invite speculation. 

Are we witnessing a targeted purge, a settling of scores, or simply the fallout of a careless whisper? The truth, as always, is elusive, but if the suspicions turn out to be correct, it really doesn't matter.

This is not just a story of bureaucratic missteps; it’s a snapshot of a system fraying at the edges, where leaks are weaponized, and loyalty is a liability. 

The Pentagon now resembles a house divided, its guardians ensnared in a web of their own making. And as the investigation tightens its grip, one wonders: who will be left standing when the dust settles?

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