Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing fresh allegations that officials inside the Pentagon and White House want him removed, with author Michael Wolff portraying President Donald Trump as the central reason Hegseth remains in the job despite a steady stream of damaging disclosures.
Wolff, a longtime Trump biographer, wrote in his HOWL Substack newsletter that opposition to Hegseth has spread into the president's inner circle. "In the White House, the president's closest circle of advisors believe Hegseth needs to be fired-yesterday is their timetable," Wolff wrote. He said the critical exception was Trump himself.
The Pentagon rejected Wolff's account in unusually personal terms. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez called Wolff "a known liar" and dismissed his reporting as politically motivated fiction in a statement to the Daily Beast.
The dispute comes amid a succession of leaks portraying Hegseth as increasingly isolated inside the institution he leads. Wolff described the disclosures as part of a "growing rear-guard rebellion to get him out," alleging that officials have circulated accounts involving Hegseth's management, judgment and the influence of his wife, Jennifer Rauchet.
Questions about Rauchet's role have surfaced separately from Wolff's account. The Daily Beast cited previous reporting that more than 20 current and former Defense Department officials described her as being involved in some of her husband's decision-making, including interviews with prospective Pentagon employees. Those accounts have contributed to scrutiny over the degree of influence exercised by someone without an official senior Defense Department role.
The criticism has also taken a more personal form among some military personnel. The Daily Beast reported Sept. 4 that Hegseth has been referred to inside the Pentagon as "No Tab Pete," a reference to his not having earned specialized qualification tabs such as Ranger or Sapper during his National Guard service.
Wolff has highlighted a separate nickname, "Colonel Vodka," which he said former Fox News chief Roger Ailes used for Hegseth because of his frequent references to his military service and reputation for drinking. The characterization comes from Wolff's account and hasn't been independently established in the Daily Beast reporting.
The leaks have emerged alongside broader friction over Hegseth's handling of senior military leadership. The Daily Beast's separate report focused on the departures and treatment of prominent Army officers, including Gen. Christopher Donahue and former Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, and described resentment among some military figures over Hegseth's leadership.
