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Hegseth’s Bizarre ‘Selfie’ Fixation Doomed Top Army General
thedailybeast.com • • world
Key Points:
- Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard officer, campaigned to remove Gen. Christopher T. Donahue, a highly respected four-star general, based on a widely circulated photo he mistakenly called a "selfie."
- The photo showed Donahue as the last American soldier leaving Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021, shortly after a deadly ISIS suicide bombing at Kabul airport, an event Hegseth wrongly linked to Donahue.
- Despite strong support from military leaders and Republican lawmakers who viewed Donahue as a key strategist, Hegseth persisted in pushing for his ouster, viewing Donahue as too powerful.
- Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, a friend of JD Vance, attempted to intervene to keep Donahue but resigned shortly after Hegseth canceled a planned meeting between Vance and Donahue.
- Hegseth, who never rose above the rank of major, has reportedly blocked or fired about 80 senior military officers, roughly 10% of the U.S. military’s highest-ranking personnel.
