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PaperclipPerfector  19hr ago (text post)   2477 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of March 16, 2026

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The DNI has brought in an Iran Dove to advise Trump’s briefings:

Dan Caldwell, a former top Pentagon aide who was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after being publicly accused of leaking classified information, was recently hired by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said an administration official and others familiar with the move. In his new position, Mr. Caldwell will serve as an adviser to senior intelligence officials who are responsible for coordinating the work of 18 federal intelligence agencies and drafting the president’s daily intelligence briefing.

Dan Caldwell was a Hegseth aide who was fired back in 2025 during SignalGate. He claimed he was fired for advising against a war with Iran:

Caldwell, a former Marine officer who previously worked for Hegseth at Concerned Veterans of America, portrayed himself as an opponent of open-ended military conflict that has characterized U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East — and could resume with an attack on Iran that has the backing of some American and Israeli officials. “I think there clearly is a very strong coalition within the United States that wants to see another war in the Middle East,” Caldwell said. “And it crosses both parties.”

The circumstances of the leak and firing were strange. Some insiders believe in a cover-up:

Former chief DoD spokesman John Ullyott penned an op-ed in POLITICO Sunday night, in which said there "has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration." He said he was a big supporter of Hegseth's candidacy for the job, but pointed out a number of wrong turns by Hegseth including the way Signalgate was handled. There are also new embarrassing revelations like another reported Signal chat regarding Yemen airstrikes that also included the Secretary's wife and brother. Also, a reported meeting with foreign defense officials in which his wife, a former FOX News reporter, was in attendance and sensitive information was discussed. He said the purge of Hegseth's "closest advisors of over a decade" — Caldwell and Selnick — was "strange and baffling." He suggested the entire leak investigation was some sort of elaborate set-up.

Caldwell is a committed anti-war MAGA. Back in 2024 he wrote an op-ed titled Trump Must Not Betray “America First”: The Case for a Foreign Policy That Eschews Primacy and Embraces Restraint:

A foreign policy that prioritizes making Americans safe and prosperous while acknowledging the country’s constraints would improve the United States’ fiscal policies and work to rebuild its industrial base. But these measures alone will not be sufficient: the United States should militarily retrench from regions in which American interests are less pronounced, such as Europe and the Middle East, especially when the United States’ current responsibilities can be outsourced to relatively wealthy and capable allies in those regions who have more at stake. Balancing against Iran, for instance, can be achieved largely by Israel and by the Gulf Arab nations; the United States should not have to substantially backstop them or bribe them to pursue their own interests. The United States should ask allies in East Asia to shoulder similarly heightened levels of responsibility in order to manage competition with China through strategic balancing rather than a security spiral that could easily end in a full-on war.

All things considered, I wonder if this indicative of the American military intelligence position on the conflict. You’re bringing in a guy who was outspoken against an Iran war throughout 2025, who is quote-tweeting Khamenei’s funniest bangers to countersignal the Iran hysteria. I’m also really confused what happened with SignalGate. Who wanted them fired? And why?

I’m also really confused what happened with SignalGate. Who wanted them fired? And why?

What is it that you find confusing?

Caldwell was/is creature of the intel establishment. He got fired by Hegseth for reasons but Hegseth never bothered to revoke his security clearance. Caldwell has since been rehired by an arm of the intel establishment that Hegseth has no authority over because the intel establishment looks out for it's own.

This is basically any given Tuesday in DC (or any other first world government for that matter).

Isn't DNI run by Tulsi Gabbard? How is she "the intel establishment"?

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