General faces Hegseth purge
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired 24 generals, including Army Chief Randy George. The purge leaves the Army without top leaders, alarming lawmakers.
Background
Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, became Defense Secretary under President Trump and has aggressively removed senior military officers, accusing them of being too focused on diversity and not supportive of frontline troops. His actions have sparked bipartisan concern, with some Republicans like House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers calling for stability, and Democrats demanding impeachment.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2025Hegseth fired Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., replacing him with Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
- Apr 2026Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George without explanation, shortly after the start of the Iran war.
- 2026Hegseth fired or sidelined more than two dozen senior officers, including Gen. Christopher Donahue, and blocked promotions of at least 45 officers.
- Sep 1, 2026Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned, leaving the Army without a top civilian leader, Senate-confirmed top general, or confirmed commanders for operations and Europe.
- recentlyRepublican lawmakers express frustration, and Democrats call for Hegseth's impeachment as the purge continues.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said President Trump has complete trust in Secretary Hegseth, who is doing an incredible job leading the Pentagon.
- Republicans
- House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said, 'I'm tired of all the churn. I want to see some stability over there.'
- Democrats
- Representative Adelita Grijalva said it was 'past time' to impeach Hegseth, and Senator Elissa Slotkin called the actions a 'never-ending purge.'
- Analysts
- The Atlantic summarized that the Army has fewer generals than at any point in recent history, with no confirmed top leaders.
Still unverified
Reports that Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George while Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was on vacation, and that Driscoll frequently warned the White House about Hegseth, are based on anonymous sources.