Pete Hegseth's chief of staff [Joe Kasper] out at the Pentagon

… becomes FIFTH in mass exodus amid power struggle

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's controversial chief of staff Joe Kasper is now expected to leave the Pentagon, the fifth top official to leave the administration in a week.

Kasper was originally expected to serve in a different position in the Pentagon, but will now exit in favor of returning to government consulting, according to an interview to Politico.

Kasper joins Hegseth senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll, the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg who were ousted from the department last week.

The news is a surprising turnaround after Hegseth signaled his support for Kasper on Tuesday in an interview on Fox and Friends, calling him a 'great guy' and a 'great American.'

'He's staying with us, going to be in a slightly different role, but he's not going anywhere, certainly not fired,' Hegseth said. 'You make changes over time.'

Kasper was reportedly responsible for a toxic work environment, according to reports, as his detractors revealed to Politico that he once joked about taking an 'enormous s**t' during a meeting with his colleagues.

Kasper was also reportedly responsible for forcing out some of Hegseth's other loyal advisors, accusing them of leaking after a Pentagon investigation.

Among the leaks were details of his trip to the Panama Canal and a China briefing with Elon Musk that was ultimately canceled personally by President Trump himself according to reports. …

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14645697/pete-hegseth-pentagon-joe-kasper-dan-caldwell-civil-war.html