Posted on 04/15/2025 9:03:57 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A second member of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's inner circle has been placed on leave after an investigation into leaks of potentially sensitive information. Darin Selnick, the Defense Department's deputy chief of staff, was suspended from duty and escorted out of the building. This came on the heels of another Hegseth aide, Dan Caldwell, being escorted out of the Pentagon; see Hegseth Advisor Who Was Included in Leaked Signal Text Chain Escorted From Pentagon, Placed on Leave – RedState.
Selnick is a retired Air Force officer and, like Caldwell, was part of a group Hegseth brought with him from Concerned Veterans for America. During Trump 1.0, Selnick served as Veterans Affairs Advisor on the Domestic Policy Council at the White House and as a senior advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Before becoming deputy chief of staff, he'd been acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.
According to reports, the investigation ordered by Hegseth's Chief of Staff, Joe Kasper, focused on leaks about the military operational plans for the Panama Canal, a second carrier headed to the Red Sea, Elon Musk’s controversial visit to the Pentagon (White House Pushback on a Fake News Story About Musk Results in a Deluge of Stealth Edited Headlines – RedState), and pausing the collection of intelligence for Ukraine.
Right now, it is difficult to know what to make of the sequence of events. Hegseth's chief of staff served in the first Trump administration and was Duncan Hunter's chief of staff on Capitol Hill. Either Hegseth brought into his inner circle a couple of men who traded on that relationship to raise their profile or push a personal agenda. Caldwell, for instance, was known to oppose any military action against Iran and was generally hostile to US aid to Israel.
Dan Caldwell, a top advisor to Defense Chief Pete Hegseth, was escorted out of the Pentagon after being named in a Department of Defense leaks investigation.
Caldwell didn’t toe the usual line on foreign policy. He openly challenged the Washington consensus on Israel, saying the… pic.twitter.com/O2ZoVSNmXd— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) April 15, 2025
On the other hand, we know the left has the long knives out for Hegseth (see More Laughable Attacks on Pete Hegseth Show Just How Dangerous He Is to the Left's Agenda – RedState and White House Pushback on a Fake News Story About Musk Results in a Deluge of Stealth Edited Headlines – RedState), and depriving him of trusted aides would be one way of weakening him.
No inside knowledge. That said: Taking the Pence-esque “long knives” side of this particular bet.
Hegseth-haters sowing chaos.
leaker ping
Hmmmm....
Sensitive Israeli intelligence leaked in Trump administration chat group
Arutz Sheva ^ | 27/3/25
Posted on 3/27/2025, 3:29:13 PM by Eleutheria5
A leak of sensitive Israeli intelligence, shared in a chat group of senior US officials, has raised significant concerns about the security of classified information and the potential impact on intelligence-sharing relationships.
Citing *two US officials,* The Wall Street Journal reported that the chat, which was inadvertently disclosed to The Atlantic magazine, involved US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz sharing details about an Israeli intelligence source that helped identify a Houthi missile expert targeted in a US strike in Yemen. The Israeli government has since expressed concerns about the public exposure of their involvement in the operation....
Darin Selnick is a retired Air Force officer holding the rank of captain. He lives in California,
where he volunteers as a board member of the West LA Veterans Home Support Foundation.
He is a member of the American Legion, AMVETS,
Jewish War Veterans, and the Air Force Association.
Dan Caldwell was a public policy advisor at Defense Priorities. Caldwell is a veteran of the Marine Corps and the Iraq War. Following boot camp and initial training, Caldwell was assigned to the Marine Corps Presidential Support Program, where he served as a member of the security force at Camp David.
Following his service at Camp David, Caldwell deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and conducted operations in Al Anbar and Ninawa provinces.
Following his service in the Marines, Caldwell worked for Rep. David Schweikert from 2011 to 2013, focusing on veterans and defense issues. Caldwell graduated cum laude from Arizona State in 2011 with degrees in Asian History and Political Science.
Sometimes older men make mistakes where there is little room for error.
I never cared for Concerned Veterans for America.
They want to strip down the VA so it only serves combat veterans.
That would leave me out of the system I’ve used since 1980.
Leftist sympathies are buried DEEP. Hard to find or track when they don’t want to be found. At least THIS time, his administration is pursuing them much harder and faster and getting them out of the way immediately..
Are you sure that’s combat veterans vs. service-connected and line of duty injuries? All my VA treated conditions are from line of duty injuries but I know there are ppl who are being treated for off-duty injuries from accidents. I can see no longer treating them as they are not service-connected.
Both men are political appointees, presumably chosen by Hegseth. Its hard to see how they fit into that category.
I read somewhere that the WH put out a fake story that Elon Musk would be included in a meeting on China strategy and then waited to see who would leak the story to media.
I’m not sure if that is true but that would be a way to catch a leaker.
Reads like a SWAMPER....”retired as an Air Force Captain”.
From Selnick’s DoD, “About Page”
“Mr. Darin Selnick is the deputy chief of staff.
Previously, he Performed the Duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. In this role, he serves as the principal staff assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense for force readiness; force management; health affairs; National Guard and Reserve component affairs; education and training; and military and civilian personnel requirements and management, including morale, welfare, recreation, and quality of life matters. Mr. Selnick leverages his extensive government and non-government experience advocating for veterans to position Service members for productive post-separation lives from the first day they put on a uniform.
His career in veterans affairs saw him serve as a senior advisor to Concerned Veterans for America from 2019 to 2024. While at CVA, he was executive director of its Fixing Veterans Health Care Bipartisan Taskforce. From 2017 to 2019, he worked in federal government roles, serving from 2017 to 2018 as the Veterans Affairs Advisor on the Domestic Policy Council at the White House and from 2018 to 2019 as a senior advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At the White House, he developed the Presidential Executive Order on Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition from Uniformed Service to Civilian Life. At VA, he was responsible for the implementation of the VA MISSION Act, the most significant transformation of the VA healthcare system in more than 20 years.
His prior experience includes serving as special assistant to the VA Secretary during the Bush administration and as a commissioner on the Commission on Care, established by Congress to examine how VA could better deliver health care to veterans.
Mr. Selnick is a retired Air Force officer who attained the rank of captain. He lives with his wife in California, where he volunteers his time as a board member of the West Los Angeles Veterans Home Support Foundation. He is a member of the American Legion, AMVETS, Jewish War Veterans, and the Air Force Association.”
No much on Dan Caldwell, a “Marine”.
“....has held a key advisory role within the Pentagon. A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, he acted as a main point of contact for the National Security Council, particularly during planning for strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. His involvement was noted in a leaked Signal message reported by The Atlantic.”
Not them. The ones (still in the shadows) who set them up.
(According to the alternative theory.)
Second, when you are on active duty you are considered to be in a duty status 24/7. That is how someone drunk and arrested off duty can be charged under the UCMJ. This is also why a DUI issued off base can result in a discharge. When you enter service you are considered to be 100% physically able. Your VA benefits are based on your level of physical ability at discharge. If they determine at discharge or retirement you are only 70% based on their formulas you may get 20-30% disability. Does not matter how you became 30% disabled because the government buys any disabilities when they accept you for enlistment. Young athletic servicemen is having issues, turns out he has a kidney disease that is genetic. He served for over six years before the signs appeared, he nor the military was aware of this when he enlisted. The VA ruled him 100% disabled full benefits. Sailor had a motorcycle accident no fault applied to either driver. Sailor nearly died, VA denied benefits because it was a motorcycle accident. The Sailor was on his way to base when it occurred. VA lost in court and rightly so. Sailor was left paralyzed and the Navy discharged him with no medical benefits. Is that what you want, some clerk pissed at his wife or the world to randomly deny benefits as not work related. There is no such creature in the military.
However, Marine gets onto a car accident drunk. Has a history of alcohol related issues. He is left with some physical issues after the accident. Corps discharges him for the good of the service. VA denies benefits because he was convicted of the DUI and his character of service, it was a clear case of negligence, VA won that one in court. VA benefits are essentially workman’s compensation for the military, it is a misnomer to call them disability benefits. Not every veteran is eligible. But the last thing you want is some Karen who never served a day in her life deciding whether your active duty related disabilities are service connected.
I’m not 100% sure on CVA, but I know that right now non-service connected veterans can use the VA and pay for it.
Excellent points.
However, doesn’t “VA benefits are essentially workman’s compensation for the military, it is a misnomer to call them disability benefits.” indicate only service-connected conditions? Workman’s Comp doesn’t apply for injuries outside work. Yes, the UCMJ is a 24/7 legal obligation but I don’t think that confers 24/7 responsibility for Service members’ actions off-duty.
As for the Workman’s Comp angle I’ve had non-service co-workers gripe about VA Disability pay. That it should be capped or limited term. I explained it’s like workman’s comp for military members. People 100% P&T can still work tho where SSDI 100% will be reduced if the person can work.
I am sorry, maybe I did not make it clear, not being sarcastic. Unless you served, this does not make sense. Every military member is on duty 24/7! That means any injury incurred while on active duty is considered duty-related. If you file for it prior to discharge, there is a good chance you will be covered. If you delay filing like many vets do, you have to prove it is not related to your civilian activity post discharge.
The military is not a 9-5 job; it ABSOLUTELY confers 24/7 responsibility when not at your appointed place of duty. You cannot separate the USMJ from this.
Even with SSDI, you can work, but your income is limited. With 100%, they provide training to allow you to work. With Totally and Permanently Disabled, individually unemployable, you can still earn up to $15,000 annually. VA disability is capped, and people complain about that all the time. Frankly, any former non-service member who thinks our benefits should be capped or limited can fornicate with themselves.
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