Hegseth Directs Army Secretary To Fire Public Affairs Chief-luo
Hegseth Directs Army Secretary To Fire Public Affairs Chief
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has directed Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to remove Col. Dave Butler from his position as chief of Army public affairs and senior adviser to the Army secretary, according to a report by Fox News.
Driscoll is currently in Geneva as part of a U.S. negotiating team working on efforts related to the war in Ukraine, Fox News reported.
Butler previously served as head of public affairs for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the tenure of Army Gen. Mark Milley as chairman. He had been slated for promotion to brigadier general and appeared for two consecutive years on an Army list of 34 officers selected for advancement.
The promotion list has reportedly been delayed for nearly four months after Hegseth raised concerns about several officers included by the Army selection board. Under federal law, the defense secretary cannot unilaterally remove individual names from a promotion list once it has been submitted.
According to an Army official cited in the report, Butler offered to voluntarily withdraw his name from consideration in an effort to allow the broader list of promotions to move forward.
Driscoll, an Army veteran and a close ally of Vice President JD Vance—who attended Yale Law School with Vance—had resisted Hegseth’s ongoing pressure to fire Butler for months due to Butler’s significant contributions to the transformation of the Army.
“We greatly appreciate COL Dave Butler’s lifetime of service in America’s Army and to our nation,” Driscoll said in a statement. “Dave has been an integral part of the Army’s transformation efforts and I sincerely wish him tremendous success in his upcoming retirement after 28 years of service.”
Butler accompanied Driscoll to Ukraine to help start peace negotiations in November 2025, Fox stated, adding that Hegseth’s firing demand came late last week.
In 2025, Hegseth took charge at the Pentagon and quickly began to dismiss high-ranking officers or push them into early retirement, often without providing reasons or justifications. Among those affected were Adm. Lisa Franchetti, then chief of naval operations; Gen. CQ Brown, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. James Mingus, who held the position of vice chief of the Army; Gen. Douglas A. Sims, director of the Joint Staff; Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin; Gen. James Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and Gen. Timothy Haugh, director of the National Security Agency, among others.
Butler, recognized as one of the Army’s top communicators, played a vital role alongside elite special operations units during numerous missions overseas while attached to the Army’s Delta Force from 2010 to 2014.
From 2015 to 2018, he served as the public affairs officer for Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. During this time, he worked closely with Gen. Scott Miller when Miller was in command of JSOC from 2016 to 2018.
Following Miller’s request, Butler then deployed to Afghanistan when Miller took command there from 2018 to 2019.
Throughout this period, he acted as the chief spokesman and director of communications for all U.S. and NATO forces while Miller held the position of top four-star general in Afghanistan, Fox reported.
A former four-star officer who once commanded U.S. Special Operations said Butler was “the consummate professional, the most competent Public Affairs officer I have ever worked with and a gifted practitioner of strategic communications.”
In 2025, as part of the Army’s 250th birthday celebrations, President Donald Trump acknowledged Butler specifically for his efforts in assisting the Army chief with organizing the parade in Washington, D.C.
In December, a federal appeals court sided with Hegseth and the Trump administration over its reimposed policy barring transgender Americans from serving in the U.S. military. At the same time, the appeals panel chided the lower federal district court judge appointed by Joe Biden over her ruling against the Pentagon.
Gabbard Orders Review Of Intel Alleging Ukraine Aid Diversion to Biden
A newly declassified intelligence summary is raising questions about whether U.S. taxpayer funds intended for Ukraine were part of a broader scheme to benefit Democratic political operations and then-President Joe Biden, according to officials familiar with the matter. The allegation is now being reviewed after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard requested a deeper examination of the underlying records.
Gabbard asked officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development to conduct a review of contracts, payments, and internal communications tied to the claims, officials said. The effort could lead to a criminal referral to the Federal Bureau of Investigation if supporting evidence is found, Just The News reported.
The declassified document is described as a summary of raw intelligence intercepts collected by U.S. agencies in late 2022. Officials who reviewed the material said the allegation did not appear to receive significant follow-up inside the government at the time.
Gabbard’s team has not identified evidence showing the claims were fully investigated during the Biden administration, according to officials. The intercepts also are not believed to be tied to Russian disinformation efforts, those officials said.
According to the summary, the alleged plan involved using foreign aid channels as a political pipeline. The report claims Ukrainian officials and unspecified U.S. personnel working through USAID in Kyiv discussed funding an infrastructure project that would serve as a cover for redirecting money.
“The Ukrainian Government and unspecified U.S. Government personnel, through USAID in Kyiv, reportedly developed a plan that would provide hundreds of millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to fund an infrastructure project for Ukraine that would be used as a cover to send approximately 90% of funds allocated to the DNC to fund Joe Biden’s reelection campaign,” the summary stated.
“They were confident the project would be funded initially, even though at some time in the future the project would be disapproved as unnecessary,” the report added. “At this time, the money would already be allocated and impossible to return or use for a different purpose.”
🚨 HOLY CRAP! DNI Tulsi Gabbard has learned that US intelligence intercepted Ukraine government plans to route HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of American tax dollars to boost Biden’s 2024 campaign against Donald Trump, and the DNC — Just The News
Gabbard is now asking the US Agency for… pic.twitter.com/5aFal3eOwE
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 26, 2026
The summary said the alleged plan relied on subcontracting layers to make tracking funds difficult. Officials said two American subcontractors were referenced in the intercepts, but their names remain redacted in the declassified version.
“The plan included details of how subcontractors would be funded through U.S. companies so that how the funds were spent and allocated would be difficult to track,” the report stated. “Additionally, contracts would be executed that would be difficult to verify.”
The allegations come at a sensitive time for Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues negotiations with envoys from President Donald Trump aimed at ending the war with Russia.
Ukraine has faced ongoing scrutiny over corruption concerns even as it receives continued Western support.
Over the weekend, President Trump also revealed that Gabbard has a “softer” stance than he does on Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that he still has confidence in his director of national intelligence.
“I would say that I am very strong on the fact that I don’t want Iran to have a nuclear weapon because if they had a nuclear weapon they’d use it immediately. I think she’s probably a little softer on that issue, but that’s okay. Some people are,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One en route back to Washington.
“Most people aren’t. Most people are saying thank you very much for doing what you did,” he continued.
The president made the comments when asked whether he still has confidence in Gabbard.
“Yeah, sure,” Trump responded to the question. “I mean she’s a little bit different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve.”
Biden's Daughter Shares Major Update On His Health From The Hospital
Note: we are republishing this story which originally made the news in October 2025.
Former President Joe Biden has completed a major round of cancer treatment, according to his family, following months of battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer that doctors say had spread to his bones.
The update came directly from Biden’s daughter, Ashley Biden, who shared an emotional message Monday on Instagram. In a short video post, she revealed that her father had finished a critical stage of his treatment, writing, “Rung the bell! Thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine. We are so grateful. Dad has been so damn brave throughout his treatment.”
Joe Biden and Ashley Biden holding hands while walking, Photo Credit: ProudArmyBrat/X
Ringing the bell is a long-standing tradition among cancer patients to mark the end of a major treatment phase, often signaling hope and perseverance after weeks or months of therapy.
A spokesperson for Biden later confirmed to CNN that the former president recently completed a course of radiation therapy, though his medical team has not yet determined what the next steps in his treatment will be. The update offered cautious optimism but made clear that Biden’s health journey is far from over.
Joe Biden with one of his doctors after he completed radiation treatment, Photo Credit: Chris D. Jackson/X
Biden’s post-presidential office first disclosed his diagnosis in May, revealing that doctors discovered the cancer after he reported urinary symptoms. Tests later confirmed the disease had metastasized, or spread to his bones—a serious development that significantly complicates treatment.
According to medical reports shared by his team, Biden’s cancer was classified with a Gleason score of 9, placing it among the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The Gleason scoring system ranges from 6 to 10, with higher scores indicating faster-growing, more difficult-to-treat cancers.
Joe Biden with his family after he completed radiation treatment, Photo Credit: Chris D. Jackson/X
Since his diagnosis, Biden has been undergoing a combination of radiation and hormone therapy, a standard approach for advanced prostate cancer cases. Sources close to the family say the 82-year-old former president has remained in good spirits, leaning on his family and faith throughout the ordeal.
This isn’t the first health challenge Biden has faced this year. Just last month, his office confirmed he underwent a minor surgical procedure to remove several skin cancer lesions from his forehead. Doctors described the procedure as routine, and his team said he was recovering well.
Despite stepping away from public life after leaving the White House, Biden has remained a visible figure through family updates and occasional public appearances. His daughter’s post Monday drew an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum, with many offering prayers and well-wishes for his continued recovery.
Joe Biden rings the bell after he completed his radiation treatment, Photo Credit: Chris D. Jackson/X
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While Biden’s medical team has not commented on his long-term prognosis, his family’s message was clear: the former president is fighting hard—and doing so with courage.
As Ashley Biden put it, her father has faced one of the toughest battles of his life, and through it all, “he’s been so damn brave.”
