The White House has been having trouble finding suitable candidates willing to take on top roles working for defense secretary Pete Hegseth, and officials are growing concerned that filling those roles may become even more difficult.
Qualified candidates typically are eager to serve as the defense secretary’s chief of staff, but sources told NBC News that at least three people have already turned down potential roles supporting Hegseth, and vice president JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles have actively gotten involved in the search.
"Vance and Wiles have been searching for candidates who could support Hegseth ever since [he abruptly suspended two handpicked senior aides in April], according to three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official," the network reported. "So far, though, the administration has not had much luck identifying people who are either willing to work for Hegseth or who fit the bill politically. And the White House has rejected some people Hegseth wants to hire, while Hegseth has rejected some of the White House’s candidates."
The vice president and Wile have looked for candidates in the White House and on Capitol Hill, according to multiple sources, but some potential candidates have been rejected by the White House personnel office as insufficiently MAGA, and there are signs the White House lacks confidence in his leadership.
"Last month White House officials directed Hegseth to cancel a trip to the Middle East after they learned he planned a stop in Israel, according to a current and a former official," NBC reported. "Instead, they put Hegseth on Air Force One to travel with President Donald Trump, who did not include Israel in his itinerary, [and] a different Cabinet official, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, visited Israel several weeks later and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Trump’s request."
"A person familiar with Hegseth’s planning said Noem’s trip reflected the White House’s desire to have Netanyahu meet with a trusted messenger," the report added.
Hegseth has been plagued by scandal since he disclosed war plans over a non-secure group chat that a journalist had been mistakenly added, and he reportedly shared information about an ongoing U.S. military operation in Yemen his wife, his personal attorney, his brother and others close to him, and the defense secretary then accused top aides Dan Caldwell and Darin Selnick of leaking information and had them removed from the Pentagon.
"The drama continued in May when White House officials removed Hegseth and his personal attorney, Tim Parlatore, also a Navy official, from overseeing the investigations into the three suspended aides, according to a current official and a person familiar with the probe," NBC reported.
"White House officials shifted responsibility for the probe to the deputy defense secretary, Stephen Feinberg, with whom such an investigation would normally reside," the report added. "That move, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, was a sign that there is a growing lack of confidence in Hegseth’s ability to objectively oversee the investigation of his former aides."
No evidence has emerged to show his aides had leaked information, and Hegseth has grown increasingly isolated and relies heavily on trusted aide Ricky Buria, who White House and Pentagon officials consider a political novice, and administration officials worry an impending inspector general report on the secretary's use of the Signal app could make his problems worse.
"Some administration officials, including Vance and his aides, worry that the results of the investigation will further weaken Hegseth, according to a current administration and a former administration official," NBC reported. "Hegseth’s allies predict that his tenure will continue."