White House struggles to hire senior advisers to Pete Hegseth

The White House is looking for several senior advisers to help support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but it has so far found no suitable takers.

WASHINGTON — The White House is looking for a new chief of staff and several senior advisers to support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after a series of missteps that have shaken confidence in his leadership, but it has so far found no suitable takers, according to four current and former administration officials and a Republican congressional aide.

Top Defense Department jobs, including the defense secretary’s chief of staff, are normally considered prestigious and typically attract multiple qualified candidates. But at least three people have already turned down potential roles under Hegseth, according to a former U.S. official, the defense official and a person familiar with the matter.

Vice President JD Vance and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles have taken an active interest in finding ways to help Hegseth after he abruptly suspended two handpicked senior aides in April, accusing them of leaking classified information in a Fox News interview. Soon afterward, Hegseth announced the removal of his chief of staff on Fox News and a senior press aide resigned, writing later that Hegseth’s office was in “total chaos.” 

Vance and Wiles have been searching for candidates who could support Hegseth ever since, according to three current U.S. officials and a former U.S. official. So far, though, the administration has not had much luck identifying people who are either willing to work for Hegseth or who fit the bill politically. And the White House has rejected some people Hegseth wants to hire, while Hegseth has rejected some of the White House’s candidates.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “The anonymous sources cited in this article have no idea what they’re talking about."