Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth authorized pausing military assistance to Ukraine last week, but did not inform the White House of his crucial decision.
As CNN reports, Hegseth’s rogue move led to chaos in the White House, with the Trump administration frantically trying to figure out why the weapons shipments had been stopped—then having to justify the action to both Congress and the Ukrainian government.
Despite the decision lying directly with Hegseth, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN that the president “has full confidence” in Hegseth’s abilities after his latest mishap.
On Tuesday, Trump was asked about the U.S. resuming sending key weapons to Ukraine as it battles the ongoing invasion spearheaded by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Putin is not… he‘s not treating human beings right,” Trump said. “He‘s killing too many people. So we‘re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I‘ve approved that.”
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins then asked Trump who ordered the pause last week. He sidestepped a direct answer, instead asking, “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” Hegseth, who was seated next to the president, remained silent.
Trump first flagged the resumption of military assistance to Ukraine on Monday, noting, “We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily. But they’re getting hit very, very hard. So many people are dying in that mess.”
Once again, Hegseth was seated next to Trump as he made the announcement at a dinner at the White House attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Secretary of Defense had also previously paused weapons being sent to Ukraine in both February and May.
The U.S aid to Ukraine is predominantly interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems, which protect their civilians from Russia’s drone attacks.
CNN quoted sources saying Hegseth’s latest halting of military assistance caught senior national security officials off guard. That included the U.S. special envoy to Ukraine, Ret. Gen. Keith Kellogg, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly only learned of the pause from media coverage.
The report also cited two sources who believed Hegseth not updating the White House on his actions over Ukraine could be due to having no chief of staff or trusted advisors around him. Until last year, Hegseth was a co-host on Fox & Friends Weekend.
On Tuesday, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell fired up on X at the CNN report, calling the story “a complete and total fabrication.”
Parnell added, “One of the CNN ‘journalists’ involved in this fake narrative is a well-established hoaxer. We made sure to mention that in our comment, but CNN omitted it from the story.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told the Daily Beast in a statement, “It is the job of the Secretary of Defense to make military recommendations to the Commander-in-Chief. Secretary Hegseth provided a framework for the President to evaluate military aid shipments and assess existing stockpiles.”
It continued, “This effort was coordinated across government. The Department will continue to give the President robust options regarding military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end and putting America First.”
The White House did not immediately return the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Last week, Politico reported that the Pentagon’s policy chief Elbridge Colby cited concerns that U.S. weapon stockpiles were too low behind the latest pause of air defense missiles and precision munitions to Ukraine.
However Democratic congressman Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, told NBC News those claims did not stack up.
“We are not at any lower point, stockpile-wise, than we’ve been in the three and a half years of the Ukraine conflict,” Smith said, adding “the numbers” of available stockpiles do not justify stopping aid to Ukraine.
Colby’s decisions have blindsided key White House staff, according to a Politico report citing anonymous sources, though Parnell stated that there is “zero daylight” between Hegseth and Colby.
As well as being involved in the most recent pause of weapons to Ukraine, Colby shocked officials last month by calling for a review into America’s submarine pact with Australia and the U.K.
“He is pissing off just about everyone I know inside the administration,” a source familiar with Colby’s actions told Politico. “They all view him as the guy who’s going to make the U.S. do less in the world in general.”
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