Former Hegseth Advisor Ousted in Leak Investigation Finds New Home in Gabbard’s DNI Office: Report

Former Hegseth Advisor Ousted in Leak Investigation Finds New Home in Gabbard’s DNI Office: Report

Former Hegseth Advisor Ousted in Leak Investigation Finds New Home in Gabbard’s DNI Office: Report
March 18, 2026

Portrait of a man in a suit with a serious expression, standing in front of an American flag backdrop.
Dan Caldwell previously served as an advisor to Pete Hegseth on U.S. military operations worldwide (Department of Defense)

The former top senior advisor to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has reportedly been hired by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

Fox News reported Tuesday that Dan Caldwell, ousted from the Pentagon last April amid a high-profile purge, is now onboarding at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

A source familiar with the move told Fox News that Caldwell has already passed a polygraph, sailed through background checks, and is stepping into an administrative coordination role, one that still feeds directly into shaping the President’s daily intelligence briefing across all 18 intel agencies.

More from the news outlet:

A former top advisor to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was ousted amid a high-profile leak investigation, has been hired to work under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, according to a source familiar with the move.

[…]

Earlier Tuesday, National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent resigned, citing opposition to the Iran war and arguing Tehran, Iran, did not pose an imminent threat to the United States, a rare public break from within the administration.

A source familiar with the move described Caldwell’s new position as an “administrative role” focused on internal management and coordination rather than directly shaping intelligence assessments or national security policy. However, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) plays a central role in coordinating intelligence across 18 agencies and shaping the president’s daily intelligence briefing.

The source said Caldwell has completed a polygraph test and passed a series of background and security checks and is in the onboarding process.

[…]

The Pentagon declined to comment on Caldwell’s hiring and the status of the investigation. The Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations did not respond to a request for comment.

Caldwell’s firing in April 2025 was part of a sweeping Pentagon purge ordered during a leak crackdown that the Trump administration said was necessary to root out bad actors undermining national security, along with two other senior aides, Darin Selnick and Colin Carroll.

Dan Caldwell was escorted out of the Pentagon for “an unauthorized disclosure,” according to Reuters.

Details of the unauthorized disclosure are unclear. According to Reuters, this comes after a March 21 memo ordering a Pentagon investigation into leaks ordered by Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff.

In a sharply worded response, the three men said at the time that they were “incredibly disappointed” by how their service at the Department of Defense ended, accusing unnamed Pentagon officials of smearing their reputations with “baseless attacks” as they were pushed out.

“We are incredibly disappointed by the manner in which our service at the Department of Defense ended. Unnamed Pentagon officials have slandered our character with baseless attacks on our way out the door.

All three of us served our country honorably in uniform – for two of us, this included deployments to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And, based on our collective service, we understand the importance of information security and worked every day to protect it. At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of “leaks” to begin with.

While this experience has been unconscionable, we remain supportive of the Trump-Vance Administration’s mission to make the Pentagon great again and achieve peace through strength. We hope in the future to support those efforts in different capacities.”

Dan Caldwell was also part of the Mike Waltz Houthi Signal chat group.

The post Former Hegseth Advisor Ousted in Leak Investigation Finds New Home in Gabbard’s DNI Office: Report appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Jim Hᴏft

Iranian Speaker Says “Victory Is Near” the Day After Top Official Larijani Is Pulverized in Overnight Strike

Iranian Speaker Says “Victory Is Near” the Day After Top Official Larijani Is Pulverized in Overnight Strike

Iranian Speaker Says “Victory Is Near” the Day After Top Official Larijani Is Pulverized in Overnight Strike
March 18, 2026

Portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses and a beard, engaged in conversation, set against a blurred blue background.
Iranian Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf must be this war’s “Baghdad Bob.” He speaks with confidence as the world he knows is falling down all around him.

On Tuesday Ghalibaf announced that “victory is near” for the Iranian forces. Iran has no air force, no army, no navy, and his top leaders have been annihilated in the first two weeks of this war.

is now in permanent silence just one week after arrogantly taunting President Trump on the streets of Tehran.

As The New York Post reported, Israel announced today that 67-year-old Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, was eliminated in an overnight strike.

Here is the official announcement from the IDF (originally written in Hebrew):

Tonight, March 17, 2026, the Air Force carried out a precise strike guided by Military Intelligence and incorporating unique operational capabilities in the heart of Tehran, eliminating Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, who served as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime, while he was located near the capital city of Tehran.

For years, Larijani was considered one of the most senior and veteran figures at the top of the Iranian terror regime and was close to the regime’s leader, Ali Khamenei. Following the elimination of Khamenei, Larijani solidified his position as the de facto leader of the Iranian terror regime and led the fight against the State of Israel and the countries of the region.

As part of his role, Larijani led the political-security coordination of the Iranian terror regime and engaged in directing international activity. During the recent wave of protests against the regime in Iran, Larijani led enforcement and violent suppression actions and even personally oversaw the massacre carried out against the Iranian protesters.

Larijani’s elimination joins the eliminations of dozens of commanders and leaders of the Iranian terror regime that the IDF eliminated in Operation “Roar of the Lion,” and constitutes an additional blow to the Iranian leadership’s capabilities to manage and coordinate its activities against the State of Israel.

It appears Speaker Ghalibaf is living in an alternative universe.

The post Iranian Speaker Says “Victory Is Near” the Day After Top Official Larijani Is Pulverized in Overnight Strike appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Jim Hoft

Cuban Communist Dictator Miguel Dias-Canal Vows to Resist US Pressure with “Impregnable Resistance” if US Announces Plans to Seize the Country

Cuban Communist Dictator Miguel Dias-Canal Vows to Resist US Pressure with “Impregnable Resistance” if US Announces Plans to Seize the Country

Cuban Communist Dictator Miguel Dias-Canal Vows to Resist US Pressure with “Impregnable Resistance” if US Announces Plans to Seize the Country
March 18, 2026

Man passionately speaking at a podium while holding a flag, set against a clear blue sky.
Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel rants just steps from the U.S. Embassy in Havana in January.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez is the 17th president of communist Cuba. He has served as president since 2019.

Díaz-Canel succeeded the brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro, becoming Cuba’s first non-Castro leader since the Cuban Revolution ended in 1959.

On March 16, President Trumptold reporters on Sunday that he will finish dealing with Cuba “soon” as war with Iran rages on and months-long threats to take over Cuba linger.

“Cuba’s a failed nation. Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon, either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” Trump told Bloomberg’s Jeff Mason during a gaggle on Air Force One last night. “We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba.”

This comes as the Department of Justice is preparing to charge Communist Cuban leaders in cases related to drugs or violence.

On Tuesday, Diaz-Canal released a statement firing back at President Trump and his administration. Diaz-Canal threatened the US with “impregnable resistance” if the US announces plans to seize the country.

Via Tupi Report:
Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez:

The US publicly threatens Cuba, almost daily, with overthrowing the constitutional order by force. And it uses an outrageous pretext: the harsh limitations of the weakened economy that they have attacked and sought to isolate for more than six decades.

They intend and announce plans to seize the country, its resources, its properties, and even the very economy they seek to strangle to make us surrender.

Only in this way can the fierce economic war be explained, which is applied as collective punishment against the entire people.

In the face of the worst scenario, #Cuba is accompanied by a certainty: any external aggressor will clash with an impregnable resistance.

The post Cuban Communist Dictator Miguel Dias-Canal Vows to Resist US Pressure with “Impregnable Resistance” if US Announces Plans to Seize the Country appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Author: Jim Hoft

“Betrayal Is Rarely Spontaneous”: After Joe Kent Resigns He Announces Interview with Tucker Carlson

“Betrayal Is Rarely Spontaneous”: After Joe Kent Resigns He Announces Interview with Tucker Carlson

“Betrayal Is Rarely Spontaneous”: After Joe Kent Resigns He Announces Interview with Tucker Carlson
March 18, 2026

Close-up of a man with a thoughtful expression, showcasing his facial features and furrowed brow against a neutral background.

Joe Kent came out on Tuesday morning claiming relevance and that President Trump was wrong to get involved with Iran. It was then reported that he would soon appear on … Read more

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Author: Joe Hoft

Trump Admin Letter Reveals “Concessions” to Democrats While They Hold Nation Hostage in DHS Shutdown

Trump Admin Letter Reveals “Concessions” to Democrats While They Hold Nation Hostage in DHS Shutdown

Trump Admin Letter Reveals “Concessions” to Democrats While They Hold Nation Hostage in DHS Shutdown
March 18, 2026

Three law enforcement officers in tactical gear walk through an airport terminal, emphasizing security and vigilance in public spaces.
Credit: DHS

According to a letter obtained by Fox News, the White House has outlined a series of proposed “concessions” to Democrats in ongoing negotiations over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding and immigration enforcement reforms.

The letter, sent to Republican Senators Susan Collins and Katie Britt and signed by Border Czar Tom Homan and Assistant to the President James Braid, details what the administration is willing to codify into law as part of a broader deal to end the DHS funding standoff.

But here’s the catch: much of what’s being offered isn’t new at all.

According to Bill Melugin, the administration’s proposals include:

  • DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement must wear clearly visible identification and provide it upon request

  • Expanded use of body-worn cameras, with mandatory retention of footage and increased congressional oversight

  • Limits on enforcement actions at “sensitive locations” like schools and hospitals—except in national security or public safety emergencies

  • Reaffirmation that U.S. citizens cannot be deported or detained unless they commit a qualifying crime

However, each of these provisions closely mirrors existing DHS guidance or long-standing legal requirements.

The “sensitive locations” policy, for example, has already been standard practice for years, while the prohibition on deporting U.S. citizens is already embedded in federal law. Similarly, identification requirements and body camera usage have been incrementally expanded across federal law enforcement agencies.

The letter rips the mask off the Democrats’ bad-faith games that triggered the Department of Homeland Security shutdown more than a month ago.

According to the letter:

Thank you for your service to our country. In response to your request, this letter details the latest status of negotiations with Democratic congressional leadership. We look forward to continuing to partner with you to bring this senseless and dangerous shutdown to an end.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shut down after February 13, a month ago. Prior to the DHS shutdown, Republican and Democratic leadership and appropriators, and the Trump Administration, negotiated a package of appropriations bills on a bipartisan basis.

This package included a bipartisan agreement to provide full-year funding for DHS, and it was passed by the House on a bipartisan basis.

Before passage in the Senate, congressional Democrats decided they would no longer vote for the bill they negotiated, and forced Congress to resort to a ten-day clean extension of DHS funding.

On February 4, five days after Congress passed the DHS funding extension, the Democrats released a list of demands. Three days later on February 7, they produced legislative text of their demands.

Unfortunately, the majority of their demands, as written, would make it impossible to fully protect American citizens from dangerous criminal aliens and expose law enforcement and their families to increasing threats of violence. In other words, they would prioritize illegal aliens above American families.

On February 9, the Administration sent a document explaining its counter proposal, and followed up with legislative text two days later on February 11.

On February 12, White House Border Czar Tom Homan explicitly ended the surge operation in Minnesota. He also instituted a number of significant changes to immigration enforcement activities, like ending ICE roving patrols, updated protocols for handling unlawful agitators, deployment of body-worn cameras, and advanced notice to and advanced cooperation with local law enforcement in conducting operations.

On February 16, three days into the shutdown, the Democrats responded to the Administration counter offer by proposing effectively their original offer again.

Since, the Administration transmitted a counter offer, and then 18 days later, on March 16, the Democrats responded with a counter offer that fails again to show a good faith attempt to compromise.

Since the beginning of this lapse in appropriations, the Administration has sought to bring it to an expeditious conclusion through good-faith negotiation. On the Senate floor on Thursday, March 12, the Administration’s position was repeatedly mischaracterized.

Throughout this process, the Administration has offered to codify improved operational guidelines to its immigration enforcement operations. These would be layered on top of the updates that were negotiated, agreed to, and passed through the House on a bipartisan basis.

These improvements include the following:

  • The Administration will expand the use of body-worn cameras by DHS law enforcement undertaking immigration enforcement operations, with an exception for undercover operations. The Administration will increase Congressional oversight by requiring retention of body-camera video footage and compliance transparency.
  • The Administration will limit civil immigration enforcement activities at certain sensitive locations, subject to a narrow carve-out for immediate needs like national security, flight risks, and public safety. Sensitive locations include places like hospitals and schools, which is current practice.
  • The Administration will adhere to current law that affords Congress oversight of DHS detention facilities. The Administration will also increase oversight, in particular by creating mandatory review and compliance reporting from the Inspector General of DHS. Moreover, this requirement would apply to funds flowing from other federal streams in addition to funding flowing from annual appropriations.
  • The Administration will enforce the use of visible officer identification for DHS law enforcement carrying out immigration enforcement activities. Officer identification worn by officers will be clearly displayed. Moreover, the Administration will require such officers to clearly verbalize their agency and identification upon request when engaging in official duties, consistent with standard law enforcement practices. Undercover officers would not be subject to these requirements.
  • The Administration will adhere to existing law and practice of not deporting any U.S. citizen and will codify current practice of not knowingly detaining a U.S. citizen, except when the person violates a state or federal law that makes the citizen subject to arrest.

The Administration has worked in good faith to again reach bipartisan agreement on full funding for the entire Department of Homeland Security and institute common-sense operational improvements to federal immigration enforcement operations that enhance the safety of American communities.

Democrats must stop holding the safety and security of the American people hostage and move forward with fully funding DHS.

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Author: Jim Hᴏft