Hegseth aide upended Pentagon leak inquiry with false wiretap claims

Exclusive: ex-Doge staffer Justin Fulcher suggested he had evidence of wiretap that would help investigation

Days before Pete Hegseth fired three top aides last month over a Pentagon leak investigation into the disclosure of classified materials, according to four people familiar with the episode, a recently hired senior adviser said he could help with the inquiry.

The adviser, Justin Fulcher, suggested to Hegseth's then chief of staff, Joe Kasper, and Hegseth's personal lawyer, Tim Parlatore, that he knew of warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) that had identified the leakers.