Third Pentagon appointee placed on administrative leave
CNNAPR 21
Pentagon Places Three Top Officials on Leave in Leak Investigation
Above: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to the press during a meeting with his Salvadoran counterpart, René Merino Monroy (out of frame), at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 2025. Image copyright: Oliver Contreras/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
President Trump's first four years in office taught him that leaks to the press are troublesome for the administration, so it's only natural that he and his cabinet members will spare no efforts to prevent sensitive information from getting to the press. That these three officials were escorted out of the Pentagon suggests that their actions were appalling.
Democratic narrative
These three suspensions have hardly anything to do with a leak. It's certain that there's an ongoing investigation into unauthorized disclosures within the Defense Department, but that is likely just a front for Pentagon chief of staff Joe Kasper to purge those who disagree with him.