Pete Hegseth Is Now Bringing His Wife To Pentagon Meetings After He Ousted Top Officials: Report

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is now bringing his woman to meetings pinch Pentagon staffers arsenic his soul circle grows tighter, according to a report.

The move comes arsenic Hegseth has faced accrued criticism and ousted much than 2 twelve Pentagon officials successful caller weeks. It besides comes arsenic Hegseth leads nan nation’s efforts successful nan Iran warfare and perpetually promotes nan occurrence nan U.S. has had successful its attacks. Hegseth has now grown progressively isolated wrong nan Pentagon, according to The Guardian.

Hegseth has besides expressed fearfulness and paranoia astir President Donald Trump firing him, nan study noted.

Now, Hegseth has brought his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, a chap erstwhile Fox News producer, to immoderate meetings and she sits successful nan backmost of nan room.

It’s unclear if Jennifer had immoderate domiciled astatine nan meetings aliases was conscionable location to observe.

Hegseth has besides filled his soul circle pinch his brother, Phil, who was appointed arsenic elder advisor and lawyer Tim Parlatore who has represented some Hegseth and Trump, according to nan report.

The Independent has reached retired to nan Pentagon astir the civilization astatine nan Department of Defense.

The alteration comes aft Hegseth has worked to remake nan nation’s war-fighting instrumentality into his agenda of “warrior ethos.” That has resulted successful nan firing aliases forced status of 24 generals and elder commanders, according to nan report.

About 60 percent of those forced retired person been Black aliases female, arsenic nan Trump management has fought against diversity, equity and inclusion.

One precocious removed leader was Navy Secretary John Phelan. It was reported that he butted heads pinch Hegseth complete complying pinch a national judge’s bid regarding Mark Kelly and seemingly retribution for nan “illegal orders” video.

“Hegseth wanted Kelly, a retired Navy skipper and erstwhile astronaut, brought backmost onto progressive work and stripped of his rank,” Jennifer Griffin, Fox News’ Pentagon correspondent, reported past month.

Hegseth has shown small regret pinch removing nan leaders pinch small aliases nary reason. In fact, at his caller Congressional testimony, he was asked astir nan changes.

“Members connected this committee and nan erstwhile activity of this section were focused connected height, societal engineering, title and gender successful ways that we deliberation were unhealthy,” Hegseth told lawmakers.

The day-to-day moving of nan section has fallen to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, according to nan report. He is nan billionaire proprietor of an finance patient now responsible for nan astir 3 cardinal subject and civilian employees.

Hegseth has alternatively taken connected issues that are of individual interest, including changing up nan chaplain services, according to The Guardian.

Experts person sounded nan siren complete nan Pentagon changes and immoderate said they person mirrored nan schedule of Project 2025, nan blimpish playbook drawn up ahead of Trump’s return to nan White House.

“It talked astir an serviceman purge and going aft nan alleged woke officers astatine nan elder level,” Paul Eaton, a retired service major-general, told nan Guardian.

“They want to create ideologically axenic equipped forces that will beryllium pliant to nan president and his caput of defense and whose oath will beryllium much to a personification than to nan constitution.”

He added: “You create a fracture successful nan cohesion of nan group astatine that level. It is if you haven’t been purged, you wonderment if you are adjacent if you opportunity nan incorrect point to nan man aliases female connected your near aliases correct that whitethorn invoke nan wrath of nan caput of defense aliases nan president.”

Former Army colonel Kevin Carroll worked successful nan offices of nan defense caput and besides said of nan seemingly hostility successful nan Pentagon.

“There was hostility betwixt nan agency of nan caput of defense and nan associated chiefs of unit erstwhile I served connected nan associated unit successful 2002 and 2003 because of disagreements astir Iraq complete whether and really we should spell to war,” Carroll told The Guardian. “But it was each very master and civil. This is conscionable disarray. It’s crazy.”