President Trump privately distanced himself from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firing spree at the Pentagon, apologizing to a senator on behalf of a four-star general Hegseth axed without explanation, even as the purge leaves the Army without a permanent leader amid escalating drone warfare in the Middle East.
Hegseth, who styles himself "Secretary of War" through a Trump executive order, fired Gen. Randy George, the Army's top officer, in a 15-second phone call in April, with no clear reasoning given. According to The New York Times, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a 22-year National Guard veteran who hails from George's state, called Trump directly to complain, telling him George was one of the Army's best officers and noting the general's own parents had voted for Trump.
"Tell the general I'm sorry," Trump said, according to a congressional official familiar with the call.
The comment raises speculation that Hegseth's chaotic housecleaning wasn't his call, even as the fallout piles up. The Army hasn't had a confirmed chief of staff since George's ouster, and Hegseth has pushed out or fired at least a half-dozen senior officers, shrinking the Army's four-star ranks from 10 to just five, the fewest in decades. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, once seen as a possible successor to Hegseth himself, is also expected to leave in the coming months and has already vacated his government housing.
Hegseth's preferred replacement for George, Gen. Christopher LaNeve, still lacks enough Republican Senate support to be confirmed, partly because Ernst believed Hegseth had promised her George would finish his term. LaNeve is now serving simultaneously as acting chief and vice chief, both demanding four-star roles.
Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), a former Army intelligence officer, warned the shake-up is doing lasting damage: "We're doing generational damage to the sense that the military is an apolitical trusted organization."
Hegseth's command of the Pentagon has led to an endless string of controversies, from the effective expulsion of the press corps to micromanaging exceptions for military rules about beards.