President Donald Trump has amplified attacks on a general caught up in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest purge, sharing a post calling the fired officer a traitor and demanding a stint in prison.
The controversy stems from this week’s ouster of Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, an Army strategist on the Pentagon’s Joint Staff. Hegseth put an end to Sylvia’s tenure after he was accused of passing along classified details on Iran and Ukraine to the press.
On Friday, Trump put up two screenshots on Truth Social of conservative voices praising Hegseth’s decision and wanting the general prosecuted. In one such post, Sylvia was branded a “traitor” who ought to be “sent to Leavenworth,” the military prison for personnel convicted by court-martial. While Trump did not make the demand for incarceration directly, he saw to it that the call for retribution was put before his followers.
It is yet another senior officer to go from the department since Hegseth assumed command nearly two years ago.
Sylvia, ex-commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was the director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff.
The Washington Post reports that the Pentagon has put the case before the Justice Department for any legal action it sees fit, though the department has not publicly released supporting evidence. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said an internal probe led to the personnel move and that the department has zero tolerance for unauthorized disclosures of classified material.
CBS News cited a Pentagon official saying Sylvia failed three polygraph tests over the alleged leaks, but two other Pentagon sources disputed the accusations while still linking the firing to the tests.
This is part of Hegseth’s drive to root out officials he believes are leaking classified information to the news media, which has led to stricter rules for reporters and more polygraph testing.
When pressed on the allegations against Sylvia on Thursday, Trump had this to say: “She’s going to have big problems. Long-term problems.” He appeared to be referring to the male general as a woman. The president added that the administration was looking for those who let sensitive information slip.
At first, the Joint Staff issued a note of thanks for Sylvia’s 32 years in the military, then retracted it the next day, saying it did not accurately reflect the full circumstances. Sylvia, a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his service in Afghanistan, has not publicly addressed the allegations.
One colleague told The Washington Post that Sylvia had denied leaking classified information but acknowledged having dealings with reporters in the past.
Sylvia is not the first to leave under Hegseth; his predecessor in the same post, Lt. Gen. Joseph McGee, was forced to retire last year.
As things stand, the case is under investigation. A referral is not the same as criminal charges being filed, and it is not known if the Justice Department will bring a case against the general.
