Pete Hegseth has reportedly concocted a brazen scheme to force the removal of a top Pentagon official who makes him feel insecure.
Long-running tensions between Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll took center stage last week after Hegseth abruptly fired Driscoll’s chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, along with two other top military officials. The move infuriated Army officers who described it as a petty attempt by Hegseth to get back at George and Driscoll for pushing back against his decision to block the promotion of Army officers who were Black and female.
According to The Hill, Hegseth and his team are concerned about the rising influence of Driscoll at the Department of Defense and are looking into ways to undercut the Army secretary. But Driscoll, a close friend of Vice President JD Vance, has the White House on his side and has won praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, even as Hegseth has stumbled into one controversy after another.
Now, however, Hegseth’s team seems to have hatched a plan to take Driscoll down by playing to President Donald Trump’s ego. That’s according to an unnamed Pentagon official who told The Hill the defense secretary’s team believes they have “uncovered proof that Driscoll has become a resistance figure within the Pentagon not only against Hegseth, but against President Trump as well.”
Driscoll has long been considered a natural replacement for Hegseth should he be fired. In the wake of Trump axing his Homeland Security secretary and attorney general, Hegseth’s “paranoia” about being removed is said to have grown to a fever pitch.
“He’s just really uncomfortable with anyone who could potentially be outshining him,” an official told The Hill.
A former U.S. official said they do not think Trump will get rid of Hegseth until the war with Iran is fully over, but that Driscoll “has been mentioned in circles if the secretary was ever left for whatever reason, that Driscoll was high on the list of potential replacements.”
Removing Hegseth as defense secretary is not exactly a far-fetched idea. The former Fox News host has been constantly embattled during his time leading the Pentagon.
This includes the Signalgate scandal, accusations of war crimes, and quickly reversing the suspension of the crew of two Army helicopters who performed a fly-by close to MAGA rocker Kid Rock’s house in what was widely seen as an embarrassment for the military.
A current official said Hegseth’s firing of George, the Army’s highest-ranking officer, while the U.S. was in the middle of a war with Iran was part of a plot to undercut Driscoll.
“It’s a way for him to … look, I’m going to signal that I’m in charge of your people. I’m going to try to undermine your leadership,” the unnamed official told The Hill, adding that Hegseth is “just trying to knock the Army down a few pegs so that he feels safer.”
A source added to the outlet that the White House has informed Hegseth that he cannot fire Driscoll himself.
Driscoll already issued a statement this week assuring that he has “no plans” to resign amid reports of the internal conflict with Hegseth.
“Serving under President Trump has been the honor of a lifetime and I remain laser focused on providing America with the strongest land fighting force the world has ever seen,” he added.
The Pentagon also denied there are tensions between Hegseth and Driscoll, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell saying that Hegseth “maintains excellent working relationships with the secretaries of every service branch,” including Driscoll.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.
