'Uncomfortable' Pete Hegseth Afraid of Being 'Outshined' by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll as Military Tensions Erupt, Senior Officials Admit

Pete Hegseth is allegedly trying to paint a top Pentagon official as a "resistance figure" in the hopes of ousting him from the administration.

Hegseth, 45, considers Army Secretary Dan Driscoll something of a rival after Donald Trump selected the latter to help negotiate the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, multiple insiders told The Hill, per a report on Thursday, April 9.

"He’s just really uncomfortable with anyone who could potentially be outshining him," a current Pentagon official told the publication of the defense secretary.

However, the Pentagon denied the aforementioned, claiming The Hill's sources were "serving up fake news to anyone gullible enough to write about it."

Head Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell added that Hegseth "maintains excellent working relationships with the secretaries of every service branch."

Meanwhile, another Pentagon official alleged that Hegseth's inner circle "believes they’ve uncovered proof that Driscoll has become a resistance figure within the Pentagon not only against Hegseth, but against President Trump as well."

The Secretary of Defense also recently fired Driscoll's chief of staff, Gen. Randy George, last week, as well as another one of his top advisors, Col. Dave Butler, two months ago.

Per the Daily Beast, the axing of George was a way to "get back" at him and Driscoll for not going along with his move "to block the promotion" of Black and female Army officers.

"There's concern about the state and health of the DoW (Department of War) going forward. If you get rid of good — really good — generals for no reason," one official told The Hill. "And therefore they have concerns about Hegseth himself."

The same source added that by ousting people close to Driscoll, a threatened Hegseth is showing the secretary who's boss.

"It’s a way for him to … look, I’m going to signal that I’m in charge of your people. I’m going to try to undermine your leadership," the official said, adding Hegseth is "just trying to knock the Army down a few pegs so that he feels safer."

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to The Hill on Wednesday: "President Trump has effectively restored a focus on readiness and lethality across our military with the help of leaders like Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Driscoll."

Hegseth has previously faced backlash for overriding Pentagon standards, politicizing military operations and promoting "maximum" force.

He also notably shared sensitive military information in a group chat that included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief.