«He was on Tucker’s podcast final evening along with his first feedback since he was fired. In that dialog, Caldwell means that he was compelled out of the Pentagon—not as a result of he leaked something to any member of the press, which he denies—however as a result of he’s anti-war with Iran as a consequence of his experiences in Iraq. That basically began pushing me towards the place I’m now in overseas coverage, like we have to do one thing in a different way, and in a approach, it radicalized me on this.
And there’s actually an argument that, whenever you’re speaking about overseas coverage, it’s essential to be chilly and indifferent. Some individuals say realists should be chilly and indifferent. I don’t essentially consider that.
However you understand, after I hear about launching a brand new navy operation, when somebody talks about one thing, my first thought is: What’s it going to be like for the fellows? What’s it going to be like for the boys who’ll be on the entrance strains? Now, the suggestion implies that Secretary Hegseth, or those that recommended to Hegseth that Caldwell be fired, suppose in a different way from Caldwell in that regard.
Though I can let you know from many conversations with Pete over the previous six months, he’s removed from a neocon. We’ve talked about all of this. He was rather more pro-war, as a lot of the Republican Social gathering was through the Bush years—he signed up. He left Princeton to go combat. I imply, he had that mindset, like many people did after 9/11. That’s why he volunteered and fought in Gitmo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. However he’s had a critical change of coronary heart because of these experiences. Identical to Caldwell, Pete will not be a neocon.»
Dan Caldwell, senior advisor to Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth, was dismissed from the Pentagon on April 15, 2025, amid an investigation into leaks of delicate data. Though authorities cited “unauthorized disclosure” because the official motive, Caldwell maintains that his dismissal was politically motivated as a consequence of his opposition to a possible conflict with Iran, formed by his experiences in Iraq.
Caldwell, together with two different senior officers, was escorted out of the Pentagon after being linked to a personal chat on the Sign app, the place navy plans have been mentioned, together with potential strikes on the Houthis in Yemen. This chat, dubbed “SignalGate,” included prime nationwide safety officers and, by mistake, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
