White House reviewing candidates to replace Hegseth deputy Steve Feinberg — sources

The White House has reviewed candidates to potentially replace US Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, three people familiar with the discussions tell Reuters, a sign that more leadership change could come for a Pentagon already facing unusually high staff turnover.

The effort, which was under way in June, has included conversations with senior lawmakers in the Senate about whether the administration’s picks would have enough support to be confirmed, say two of the people, one of whom adds that the review was still going on as of late August. Reuters cannot not determine when the White House began considering candidates.

The three sources say no decision has been made to remove Feinberg from his post. They don’t say why the White House is reviewing potential replacements and don’t specify which candidates the White House is considering.

“These so-called anonymous ‘sources’ have no idea what they are talking about,” says White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.

“President Trump appreciates the work of Secretary Hegseth, Deputy Secretary Feinberg, and the entire Department of War, whose record of success in Operation Epic Fury, Operation Absolute Resolve, and Operation Midnight Hammer speaks for itself,” she says, referring to US military operations in Iran and Venezuela.

The Pentagon denies a process is under way to replace Feinberg. Asked for comment by Reuters, Hegseth says in a statement that Feinberg has his full support and “isn’t going anywhere.”

The Pentagon did not provide a comment from Feinberg and declined to make him available for an interview.

A departure by Feinberg, the billionaire co-founder of private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, would be the most senior staff change for a department that has already seen a string of high-profile departures under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.