Pentagon Official Colin Carroll Escorted Out in Leak Probe Scandal
Department of Defence Headquarters of the US (Image credit X.com)
Third Pentagon Official Escorted Out Amid Leak Probe: Colin Carroll Placed on Leave
TRH News Desk
New Delhi, April 16, 2025: A third senior Pentagon official, Colin Carroll, has been placed on administrative leave and escorted out of the Department of Defence headquarters. The action follows the ongoing probe in the Signal leak of Yemen war plan.
Carroll served as chief of staff to Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg. He was removed from the Pentagon yesterday, following suspicions of leaking classified information, according to media report which quoted multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The development comes on the heels of similar actions against two other top Pentagon officials, Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Darin Selnick, the Pentagon’s deputy chief of staff.
Both the officials had also been escorted out and placed on leave. The trio’s suspensions are linked to a broader probe into leaks of national security information, intensified by the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on rooting out unauthorized disclosures.
Details of Colin Carroll’s Removal
Carroll, sworn in as Feinberg’s chief of staff in January 2025, was a key figure in the Pentagon’s leadership structure, supporting the deputy secretary’s oversight of defence policy and operations. Sources confirmed to Bloomberg that Carroll was escorted out of the Pentagon by security officers, with his building access suspended pending the investigation’s outcome.
The Signal Leak Scandal
The current wave of suspensions is set against the backdrop of the so-called “Signalgate” scandal, which erupted last month when a leaked Signal group chat exposed sensitive military planning. The chat, initiated by National Security Adviser Michael Waltz, included top Trump administration officials, including Hegseth, discussing preparations for US military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen.
In a high-profile blunder, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, was inadvertently added to the chat, leading to the public disclosure of the communications.
In the leaked messages, Hegseth named Dan Caldwell as the Pentagon’s primary point of contact for the National Security Council, highlighting Caldwell’s critical role in coordinating the strikes.
While it’s unclear if Carroll was directly involved in the Signal chat, his suspension suggests the investigation has expanded to scrutinize a wider circle of Pentagon officials with access to sensitive communications.
A March 21 memo from Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, ordered a sweeping probe into “recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications”, signaling a zero-tolerance approach.
Scope of the Leak Investigation
The leaks under investigation reportedly include details of military operational plans, such as a second aircraft carrier deployment to the Red Sea, operations involving the Panama Canal, and a controversial visit by Elon Musk to the Pentagon.
POLITICO reported that the probe also covers the Pentagon’s decision to pause intelligence collection for Ukraine, a move that sparked significant concern among defence analysts. The use of polygraphs was authorized in the investigation, though it’s unknown whether Carroll, Caldwell, or Selnick were subjected to such tests.
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