Steve Feinberg news
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Reuters reported the White House reviewed candidates to replace Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg.
A departure would be the Pentagon's most senior staff change amid high turnover.
Background
The report, attributed to three people familiar with the discussions, says the effort was under way in June and included talks with senior senators about whether the administration's picks could be confirmed; one person said the review was still going on as of late August. The White House has called the report "fake news." A departure by Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would be the most senior staff change for a department that has already seen a string of high-profile departures under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
How it unfolded
- June 2026The effort to review potential replacements for Feinberg was under way, according to three people familiar with the discussions.
- Late August 2026The review was still going on, one of the people said.
- Sep 4, 2026Reuters reported the White House had reviewed candidates to potentially replace Feinberg; the White House called the report "fake news."
- Sep 10, 2026NBC News reported Feinberg had been interviewed by the FBI as part of the probe into arrested CIA officer David Rush; Feinberg hasn't been accused of wrongdoing and the FBI said he isn't under investigation.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- The White House called the report "fake news," and chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth "did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg."
- Sources
- Three people familiar with the discussions told Reuters the White House had reviewed candidates to replace Feinberg and had spoken with senior senators about whether its picks could be confirmed.
Still unverified
The White House has disputed the Reuters report, calling it "fake news." The sources did not say why the White House was reviewing potential replacements or which candidates were being considered. NBC News reported that Feinberg was interviewed by the FBI in the probe of arrested CIA officer David Rush; Feinberg hasn't been accused of wrongdoing and the FBI said he isn't under investigation.