The man Donald Trump picked as his acting Army secretary has been saddled with an embarrassing nickname.
Adam Telle, a former Capitol Hill aide and White House official in his mid-40s who ran the office of a key GOP senator, was tapped as acting Army secretary in September, according to the Daily Mail. Trump praised him "lavishly" at the time.
Telle was seen as a known quantity "who would keep his head down" and not rattle any cages. But his ambition may have been underestimated.
On Monday, the Mail reported that Telle is now being hit with degrading nicknames as he pushes to make the job permanent, over the objections of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Pentagon brass. Multiple department officials spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity.
The palace intrigue is the latest drama under Hegseth, whose tenure has seen turf wars over senior military positions, from service secretaries to generals and admirals.
Sources told the Daily Mail that Hegseth wants his friend and chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell to get the job. That sets up another Pentagon clash that is quickly dividing Republicans.
Telle took over after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll abruptly left last month, reportedly because he disagreed with Hegseth, including over Hegseth’s firing of many senior officials.
The "knives are now out" for Telle, according to the report citing leaked texts.
“He’s a swamp creature,” one Pentagon official said.
“A hill rat,” said another.
An Army officer delivered the harshest blow: “He’s called ‘Big P---y.’”
“He’s never served a f-----g day in uniform,” one Army official told the Daily Mail. “So, you know, affectionately or unaffectionately he’s called ‘Big P---y’ through some of the Army staff, which is kind of hilarious.”
According to three Pentagon officials, the nickname comes from Telle arguing against executing Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Hasan by firing squad. It also comes from an “embarrassing photo” that “was making the rounds in the building.” The photo shows Telle in "a blue shirt and tight khakis with one foot pointed up," and his pants awkwardly hiked up.
“The photo and the pushback on the firing squad earned him the nickname that’s going around: ‘Big P---y,’” one Pentagon source said.
The Daily Mail reported that a group chat used by some Army officers is even called “BigP[cat emoji] updates,” where officials share Pentagon news and military trash talk. The messages are set to delete automatically.
Parnell, Hegseth’s preferred choice, is an Army veteran who earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart during roughly six years of service from 2004 to 2010.