As the Israel-Iran conflict escalates, Donald Trump huddles with his national security advisors to make a plan — but excludes his own head of defense, Pete Hegseth, from the process.
"Nobody is talking to Hegseth," one official said, via The Washington Post. "There is no interface operationally between Hegseth and the White House at all."
The former Fox host was included in decision-making at the beginning of Trump 2.0, but the cabinet jester soon proved to be unreliable as the Secretary of Defense after accidentally sharing sensitive war information with a journalist in what's now known as the Signalgate debacle.
Trump's inner circle of national security advisors now includes JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, as well as four-star generals Dan Caine and Michael "Erik" Kurilla, according to the Post.
And if you noticed that Tulsi Gabbard — the Director of National Intelligence — is also missing from that list, it's because she, too, has been shunned by Trump. The mad king sure knows how to pick 'em for what has got to the most terrifyingly dysfunctional U.S. administration in history.
From The Washington Post:
But as Trump faces a critical decision about whether to join Israel's military strikes against Iran's nuclear program, perhaps the most momentous of his presidency, neither Gabbard nor Hegseth are playing starring roles as members of Trump's inner circle of advisers, according to current and former U.S. officials and people close to the White House. …
[T]wo current U.S. officials said Kurilla and Caine have taken the lead on discussing military options with Trump, largely sidestepping Hegseth and his team at the Pentagon. …
Hegseth was engaged early in his role as defense secretary…[but] his preoccupation with leaks and distrust in the Pentagon have distracted him from substantial policy matters, the person said…
Among his national security aides, Trump has soured on Gabbard in recent months following a series of public controversies involving her and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which she oversees, according to people familiar with the situation. …
On June 10, Gabbard posted a video on social media in which she describes a recent visit to Hiroshima, Japan…The video, posted as Trump and his advisers were poring over intelligence indicating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would strike Iran, deeply angered Trump. He confronted Gabbard at a White House meeting with others present, telling her, "I saw the video, and I didn't like it," the outside adviser said.
Previously: White House officials' Signal group chat leak now includes passwords, phone data
