The White House has lost confidence in the Pentagon's investigation into a leak that led to the firing of three aides. This investigation was based on a dubious claim of an illegal NSA wiretap, which created turmoil among advisors. Once the claim was deemed untrue, trust was further eroded between the Pentagon and White House, leading to doubts about the identities of the true leakers. In particular, it appeared the investigation might be a ruse to eliminate aides involved in internal conflicts, leaving several critical issues unresolved.
The advisers found the claim to be untrue and complained that they were being fed dubious information by Hegseth's personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore.
The episode marked the most extraordinary twist in the investigation examining the leak of an allegedly top secret document that outlined options for the US military to reclaim the Panama canal.
A Trump adviser expressed skepticism about whether Caldwell or any of the fired aides had leaked anything, hinting at ulterior motives behind the investigation.
The illegal wiretap claim raised alarms, as such a wiretap would almost certainly be unconstitutional and create bigger scandals than the leaks themselves.
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