The White House will override Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s choice for chief of staff and install its own candidate – a move aimed at insulating the Pentagon chief from further missteps amid mounting internal chaos, according to a new report in the Guardian.
Hegseth had floated Marine Col. Ricky Buria for the role following the abrupt exit of Joe Krasper, the office’s first chief of staff, who left last month after a contentious leak investigation triggered the ouster of three senior aides, the report said. Now, Buria – who was viewed by the White House as “a liability on account of his limited experience as a junior military assistant and his recurring role in internal office drama” has been sidelined.
“Ricky will not be getting the chief position,” a source familiar with deliberations told the Guardian. “He doesn’t have adequate experience, lacks the political chops and is widely disliked by almost everyone in the White House who has been exposed to him.”
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While the White House typically controls agency appointments through the presidential personnel office, blocking a Cabinet secretary’s top aide “ is unusual and reflects Donald Trump’s intent to keep Hegseth by trying to insulate him from any more missteps,” the Guardian added.
“The intervention comes at a time when Hegseth’s ability to run the Pentagon has come under scrutiny,” according to the report. “It also runs into the belief inside Trump’s orbit that even the president might struggle to justify Hegseth’s survival if the secretary does not have a scandal-free next few months.”
Hegseth is not expected to fire Buria after agreeing to a compromise that allows him to remain as a senior advisor in exchange for accepting the White House’s pick for chief of staff, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Guardian. The White House and Pentagon declined to comment on the report.