The drumbeat against Hegseth? It’s not really about him

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth finds himself under fire again — this time from political skeptics or foes across the political spectrum. But just as the case was during the recent presidential transition period, when Trump opponents resuscitated the discredited 2018 Brett M. Kavanaugh/Christine Blasey Ford playbook in an attempt to derail Hegseth’s nomination, the stakes now are much higher than Hegseth’s job security helming the Pentagon.

When he was up for the nomination, Democrats and many in the media went all-in in an attempt to destroy Hegseth. Like the anti-Kavanaugh campaign in September 2018, when the then-pending Supreme Court nominee was accused of everything from sexual assault to gang rape (and denied the claims), the recent anti-Hegseth operation accused the two-time Bronze Star-decorated veteran of recurring alcoholism, having a ruinous Bill Clinton-esque libido and, yes, sexual assault (he has also denied the claims). But the concerted effort to sink Hegseth’s nomination was not actually about Hegseth. It was an attempt to chum the waters, demonstrate Trumpian vulnerability and sabotage the incoming administration before it even took office. Thankfully, the cynical effort failed. And military recruitment, perhaps Hegseth’s single most important Day 1 priority, has already greatly benefited.

Fast-forward a bit. Hegseth was one of the main Trump administration officials caught in the crosshairs of last month’s “Signalgate” group chat controversy, which saw sensitive military information about the United States’ attack plans on the Yemen-based Houthi terrorists inexplicably delivered to the editor in chief of the Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg. The contents of the leaked chat revealed a Trump administration that is internally divided on matters of foreign policy — in particular as it pertains to Iran and its regional proxies, such as the Houthis. Iran doves and anti-Israel provocateurs tendentiously seized the opportunity to attempt to excise a convenient “hawkish” scalp — whether that be Hegseth or national security advisor Michael Waltz. But both Hegseth and Waltz kept their jobs.

Since Signalgate, there have been two additional Hegseth-related developments. Last Sunday, the New York Times reported that Hegseth had shared sensitive information about the Houthi attack plans in a second group chat that included his wife and his brother, among others. Hegseth admitted to this second chat’s existence but claimed no harm was done. Around the same time, three high-ranking Department of Defense officials — Deputy Chief of Staff Darin Selnick, longtime Hegseth friend and confidante Dan Caldwell and the chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary, Colin Carroll — were first placed on leave, and then fired, amid an ongoing Pentagon leak investigation.

The cashiering of Caldwell is notable because of his relationship with Hegseth. The dismissal suggests that Hegseth is committed to leaving no stone unturned and is willing to go scorched-earth on onetime allies if need be, to regain operational control of his leak-addled Pentagon. But the reaction to the firings, and Caldwell’s immediate conduct afterward, are highly telling. What the Pentagon firings aftermath reveals, in short, is the same thing last month’s original leaked Signal chat revealed: a Trump administration deeply divided on issues of foreign policy, especially pertaining to Iran.

Caldwell, who has worked for various isolationist outfits, is an Iran dove. In the earliest days of the Biden administration, Caldwell even went so far as to praise Robert Malley — Biden’s execrable choice for special envoy to Iran, and previously the chief American negotiator for President Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Shortly after being fired from the Pentagon, Caldwell promptly went on the popular show of the nation’s best-known Iran dove, Tucker Carlson — a man who just referred to Iran hawks as “enemies” of the United States — to tell his side of the story. Caldwell’s narrative was pure victimhood: He argued that his Pentagon tenure threatened “established interests,” and he dismissed leak accusations. Given that his old ally Hegseth fired him and is now recommending he be prosecuted, Caldwell’s tale doesn’t pass the laugh test.

But the entire saga is illuminating.

One must wonder why many supposed allies of President Trump would decide to capitalize on the reporting from the New York Times and try to throw Hegseth under the bus at a vulnerable moment. Shouldn’t “allies” have followed the lead of Vice President JD Vance and Trump himself and defended Hegseth to the hilt? Curt Mills of the magazine the American Conservative said the quiet part out loud: “The reality is operational — Hegseth is just not up to this.”

In other words, the Hegseth smear campaign continues, but now it takes on a different hue: The target this time is all Iran hawks.

The backdrop for all this high drama, adding yet another twist to this elaborate puzzle, is the administration’s ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations, which are led by Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. Those negotiations will resume this weekend in Oman. Witkoff is a billionaire real estate investor with no particular knowledge of the Middle East. In 2023, Witkoff sold his Park Lane Hotel in New York City to the Qatar Investment Authority for $623 million, and perhaps not coincidentally, in January 2025 he went on TV to praise Qatar for “doing God’s work.” In the Carlson interview, Caldwell referred to Witkoff as a “godsend,” and Carlson hailed him as an “instrument of peace.” Carlson, notably, recently hosted the prime minister of Qatar and praised him for seeking to stop military action against Qatar’s ally and trade partner, Iran.

One starts to see what is really going on here.

The good news is that Trump himself is clear-eyed on matters pertaining to Iran. So too, it seems, is his secretary of Defense. One must thus conclude that Hegseth’s detractors are expressing frustration that the president is not as Iran-curious as they are. That would explain why certain purported administration “allies” are yet again attempting to destroy Pete Hegseth.

Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer