This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Dan Caldwell, a top adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was escorted out of the Pentagon Tuesday after being identified in an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense.
"The investigation remains ongoing," a U.S. official told Reuters.
Jennifer Griffin of Fox News confirmed the report, saying Caldwell "was escorted from the building, being investigated for 'unauthorized disclosure' of classified information."
"We can confirm the Reuters reporting is accurate, but we do not comment on ongoing investigations," a senior U.S. official told Fox News.
Reuters indicates a March 21 memo signed by Hegseth's chief of staff, Joe Kasper, requested an investigation into "recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications."
"Kasper's memo left open the possibility of a polygraph, although it was unclear if Caldwell was subjected to one," the report states.
Reuters says while Caldwell is not as high-profile as other Pentagon officials, he played a "critical role" in advising Hegseth.:
His importance was underscored in a leaked text chain on Signal disclosed by The Atlantic last month.
In it, Hegseth named Caldwell as the best staff point of contact for the National Security Council as it prepared for the launch of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
Caldwell had drawn attention in Washington for past views that critics have called isolationist, but which advocates said sought to right-size America's defense priorities.
A Marine Corps veteran who deployed to Iraq, Caldwell was quoted saying before going to the Pentagon that America would have been better off if U.S. troops had just stayed home.
"I think the Iraq war was a monstrous crime," Caldwell told the Financial Times in December 2024.
He was also a skeptic of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and advocated for U.S. retrenchment from Europe.
Caldwell has already locked down his X account, which now notes he works on "foreign policy, limited government and vets issues."
Caldwell is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Iraq War. He was deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his military service, Caldwell worked for U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., from 2011 to 2013.
As WND reported last month, Hegseth launched fiercely into the Atlantic for continuing to claim war plans were mistakenly shared on Signal with the magazine's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
"So, let's me get this straight," Hegseth posted on X.
"The Atlantic released the so-called 'war plans' and those 'plans' include: No names. No targets. No locations. No units. No routes. No sources. No methods. And no classified information.
"Those are some really sh*tty war plans.
"This only proves one thing: Jeff Goldberg has never seen a war plan or an 'attack plan' (as he now calls it). Not even close.
"As I type this, my team and I are traveling the INDOPACOM region, meeting with/ Commanders (the guys who make REAL 'war plans') and talking to troops.
"We will continue to do our job, while the media does what it does best: peddle hoaxes."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also jumped into the fray, saying: "The Atlantic has conceded: these were NOT 'war plans.'
"This entire story was another hoax written by a Trump-hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin."
Anna Bross, senior vice president for communications at the Atlantic, released a statement from the publication, indicating:
"Attempts to disparage and discredit The Atlantic, our editor, and our reporting follow an obvious playbook by elected officials and others in power who are hostile to journalists and the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Our journalists are continuing to fearlessly and independently report the truth in the public interest."
