The Pentagon is escalating its crackdown on suspected leakers by trying to make an example of a fired general.
The military is preparing to bring criminal charges against Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, a high-ranking Army officer whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired last month, The Washington Post reported.
The case represents an unusually aggressive effort, even for the Trump administration, to punish senior military leaders for allegedly sharing information with journalists.
Hegseth has gone to bat with several top generals throughout his tenure.
Sylvia, 54, had reported to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Dan Caine, working as head of plans and policy.
But Hegseth fired him in October, asserting that he leaked classified information and deleted the Signal chat afterward. Hegseth also referred him to the Justice Department for criminal charges.
Sylvia had worked under Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.
Now, the Post reports that the issue has been delegated to acting Army Secretary Adam Telle to determine if military disciplinary action is appropriate.
Pentagon officials have not been quiet about their quest to punish Sylvia.
After the news broke that Sylvia had been fired, Hegseth’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, wrote on social media: “Our commitment was not an empty promise. We vowed to find you, and we meant it.”
Still, questions remain about whether prosecutors could build a viable case against Sylvia, as the government has not charged him with any crimes. Hegseth’s previous attempt to punish supposed leakers within the Pentagon did not go anywhere after it was referred to the Justice Department.
Additionally, the DOJ has not confirmed if it is looking into the claims against Sylvia, writing in a short statement to the Post that it simply has “ongoing investigations related to possible leaks of classified information” and that it works closely with “our government partners,” including DOD.
It also remains unclear exactly what Sylvia is alleged to have done, and if a conviction is even possible.
People familiar with the matter told the Post that it is unclear if Sylvia did convey information to a reporter, and that he may have generalized that information to avoid disclosing classified information, which is routine practice for senior military leaders. Deleting a Signal chat where the apparent exchange took place also does not prove anything, the sources explained.
Sylvia was fired in October.
Khalid Al Mousily/REUTERS
Still, even if the government or military cannot secure a conviction, retired Army officer Franklin Rosenblatt told the Post that the entire ordeal of intimidating military officials in this manner may just be the point.
“In many recent national security controversies in the second Trump administration,” he said, “The process is the punishment.”
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