Hegseth praises El Salvador crackdown
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with El Salvador's Defense Minister Rene Merino at the Pentagon, praising El Salvador's government for detaining "dangerous members of foreign terrorist organizations at the Terrorism Confinement Center." Hegseth highlighted that Presidents Trump and Bukele have strengthened bilateral relations to unprecedented levels.
The meeting coincided with Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen's denunciation of Salvadoran authorities for denying him access to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported and currently held in a notorious Salvadoran prison. During his White House meeting with President Trump this week, President Bukele stated he has no intention of returning Abrego Garcia to the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged it "does not have authority to forcibly" bring Abrego Garcia back.
Meanwhile, a Pentagon investigation into classified information leaks has expanded to include two more of Hegseth's aides. Following the earlier removal of senior adviser Dan Caldwell for an "unauthorized disclosure," officials Darin Selnick (Hegseth's deputy chief of staff) and Colin Carroll (chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg) have been placed on administrative leave. Officials indicate the investigation may implicate additional Pentagon personnel.
The Trump administration has aggressively pursued leaks, an approach enthusiastically embraced by Hegseth. A March 21 memo from Hegseth's chief of staff requested an investigation into "unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications," with potential polygraph testing mentioned.
Caldwell had played a critical role advising Hegseth, serving as the primary point of contact with the National Security Council during preparations for strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen. He had previously drawn attention for controversial views on U.S. military interventions, calling the Iraq War "a monstrous crime" and expressing skepticism about U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
