Colin Carroll, a former Pentagon official fired amid an investigation into leaked national security information, is now speaking out. In an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” Carroll opened up about the pressure surrounding the Pentagon’s Signal group chat scandal, revealing that he’s been receiving threats and feeling unfairly targeted.
Carroll’s firing came after the Pentagon launched an investigation into leaked information, following the suspension of two of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s advisers. The scandal erupted when it was revealed that Hegseth, along with other top Trump administration officials, used the Signal app to discuss plans to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen. It later emerged that Hegseth had a second, private group chat with family members and his personal lawyer.
Despite the controversy surrounding Hegseth’s use of Signal, Carroll is now dealing with his own fallout, and it’s been nothing short of stressful. “I’ve been getting threats,” he told Kelly. “Stuff like, ‘We’re coming for you’ or ‘They’re going to get you.’” He revealed that these threats were sent to him through LinkedIn, the only social media platform he uses.
“It’s stressful,” Carroll said. “My wife’s like, ‘We’ve got to change the doors, the locks to the doors.’ We’ve got a kid on the way.”
His frustration with the situation is clear. Carroll insists he did nothing wrong and is still struggling with the public fallout. “I do feel like I’m owed an apology,” he said. “I certainly believe that I am owed an apology, and I would like to be exonerated publicly.”
Carroll, who had worked as the chief of staff to Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve A. Feinberg, described his experience in the Pentagon as a “tale of two Petes,” referring to Hegseth’s sometimes unpredictable behavior. He said that while Hegseth was sharp and composed in public settings, he would become agitated and hyper-focused on minor details in internal meetings. “I’ve seen the secretary in more internal meetings where he is super focused on, like, very, in my opinion, weird details and very agitated and kind of yelling,” Carroll explained. “Nothing’s good.”
Despite this, Carroll made it clear that he was not familiar with Hegseth before taking the job. He added, “I’m just telling you what I observed in the 90 days that I was there.”
Carroll was placed on administrative leave earlier this month as the Pentagon’s investigation into leaks continued, and he was fired last week. He stressed that he never leaked any classified information, and he stands firm in his innocence. “Nothing’s going to come out proving that you leaked anything, no or aided and abetted a leaking. No, not at all,” Carroll said.
The Pentagon has been under scrutiny since the Signal scandal broke, and the pressure on Hegseth continues to build. After the initial reports about the use of Signal to discuss military plans, Hegseth maintained that the messages exchanged in his second group chat were informal and unclassified. Despite ongoing criticism, the Trump administration has stood by him, with Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell defending Hegseth’s leadership.
In the interview, Carroll also reflected on the demanding nature of his job. He recalled how he would often work six to seven days a week, with long hours and little time for himself. “I was working six to seven days a week… I would get up in the dark. I would leave at six, 6:30, and I would come back between 8:30 and 10:11, depending on the day,” he shared. “Saturday, Sundays, I just get like… the weekend before we got fired, there was a big crisis. NSC, it was like, ‘Hey, can you come in?’ We went in on Saturday. We were there all day. Sunday…”
Despite his demanding schedule, Carroll expressed concern for his team and the work that still needs to be done in the department. “I feel terrible about that. I feel like I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said, acknowledging the stress his departure may have caused for his colleagues. “My stress level is not really high. I’ve not been… there’s not like, criminal, all these criminal kind of allegations coming out.”
Carroll emphasized his respect for his colleagues, especially those who had served in the military. He spoke about Dan and Darren, two individuals who had dedicated their lives to public service. “These people dropped everything to come in the department. Like, I’m honored to actually work with them,” Carroll said.
He also expressed frustration over his brother’s photo being used on social media.
“I feel for my twin brother, who sent me a message last weekend saying, ‘They’re using my photo on Twitter.’ They couldn’t find a photo of me, so they just grabbed one of Kieran,” he explained. “He was really upset.”
Despite the pressure, Carroll remains steadfast in his belief that he’s innocent and that his actions were not the cause of the leaks.
“I didn’t leak anything, so I’m totally comfortable saying I’m innocent,” Carroll concluded.
Watch the full interview below (The comments about threats come around the 1:20:30 mark.)
