The Trump White House is in damage control after shocking claims that an illegal NSA wiretap was used in a leak investigation led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
According to The Guardian, top officials told Vice President JD Vance that the Defense Department used a “warrantless National Security Agency (NSA) wiretap” to identify and fire senior Hegseth adviser Dan Caldwell, along with two others. The revelation sent shockwaves through the administration, raising serious questions about how far the Pentagon was willing to go to find a leaker.
White House officials say the wiretap claim turned out to be false — but the damage was already done. They are now accusing Hegseth’s personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, of feeding them bad information. The Guardian reported that officials “complained that they were being fed dubious information by Hegseth’s personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, who had been tasked with overseeing the investigation.”
Parlatore is denying it all, saying that he never mentioned an illegal wiretap to anyone. He pointed the finger back at other Pentagon officials.
This all stems from an explosive leak of a top-secret military plan about retaking the Panama Canal. Four sources told The Guardian the wiretap claim marked “the most extraordinary twist in the investigation.”
Now, trust between the White House and the Pentagon is badly shaken. Some close to Trump are throwing up their hands. “Trump advisers tracking the investigation have privately suggested they no longer have any idea about who or what to believe,” The Guardian reported.
The whole episode has left the administration scrambling for answers — and looking for someone to blame.
