'Snubbed': CNN reporter details Trump defense secretary’s 'remarkable break from protocol'

17 April 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on at a White House press briefing on January 30, 2025 (Joshua Sukoff/ Shutterstock.com)

Three Pentagon officials — Darin Selnick, Dan Caldwell and Colin Carroll — are being placed on administrative leave. And a CNN source is describing this development as a purge of people who had disagreements with the Pentagon's chief of staff.

CNN's John Berman, on Thursday morning, April 17, discussed this development with his colleague Natasha Bertrand — who noted that the Pentagon officials are on leave "pending some unknown investigation."

Berman, sounding puzzled, asked Bertrand what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is "saying about this," adding, "Aren't some of these guys like his guys?"

Bertrand responded, "Yes, Caldwell and Selnick, they have been working with Hegseth for years and years. They worked with him at a veterans group that Secretary Hegseth was the CEO of. They are very close to him, and so, it is definitely notable that they have been marched out here. But Secretary Hegseth is not saying anything about these very high-level departures. And in fact, we are just learning that he failed to greet the French defense minister outside the Pentagon early this morning during an honor cordon, which is really a remarkable break from protocol. And it's unclear why he essentially snubbed the defense minister there."

Bertrand continued, "He has been trying studiously, though, to avoid the press, and press would have been present at that honor cordon. And so, that could be one reason why he did not appear there. But it is really a remarkable break from previous secretaries of defense, who make it a point, as a show of respect, to greet their counterparts outside the Pentagon when they host them for these very high-level bilateral meetings."

Bertrand pointed out that the reason for the investigation of Selnick, Caldwell and Carroll remains unclear.

The CNN reporter told Berman, "I think it's worth mentioning here that there has been a large, wide-scale, wide-ranging leak probe at the Pentagon, including with the use of polygraph tests, to try to find individuals who may be leaking to the press."

Watch the full video below or at this link.

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