Hegseth Pushed to Oust Four-Star General Over Photo He Mistook for a Selfie, NYT Reports
Key Takeaways
- •Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed to remove Gen. Christopher Donahue after mistaking a standard night-vision documentation photograph for a 'selfie.'
- •The photograph captured Donahue departing Kabul one minute before the withdrawal deadline, making him the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan.
- •Hegseth reportedly believed President Trump wanted accountability for an ISIS bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members, though Donahue was not responsible for security at the attack site.
- •Chief of staff Joe Kasper prepared a notecard correcting the 'selfie' misconception and listing Donahue's three-decade career, including more than 20 deployments and support for Ukraine, but Hegseth dismissed it with 'I don't care.'
- •The episode reflects broader tensions between Hegseth and senior military leadership, with several officers removed or reassigned amid debates over politicization of the armed forces.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth mounted a campaign to remove a four-star general from his post over a photograph he mistakenly believed was a "selfie," according to a New York Times report published Sunday.
Hegseth's drive against Gen. Christopher Donahue was triggered by his dislike of a green-and-black Army photograph, shot through a night-vision monocle, showing the general on Aug. 30, 2021. "Mr. Hegseth seemed to be fixated on the photo," sources told the Times, "mistakenly referring to it as a 'selfie.'" The image was in fact a documentation photo: such night-vision shots of departing commanders are a standard military practice marking the end of a mission.
The image, taken at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, documented Donahue's departure from Afghanistan at 11:59 p.m. — one minute before the deadline for American forces to withdraw. Donahue was the last American soldier to leave the country, making the photograph a widely circulated record of the end of the two-decade U.S. war in Afghanistan. It was captured four days after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 13 American service members, the report noted.
"Mr. Hegseth believed that President Trump wanted heads to roll for the deaths," the Times reported. "General Donahue was not responsible for security at the bombing site. But he was a top commander at the airport, and so Mr. Hegseth decided he needed to go."
The episode fits a broader pattern of tension between Hegseth and senior military leadership since he took office, with several senior officers removed or reassigned during his tenure amid debates over politicization of the uniformed ranks.
Joe Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff, sought to persuade his boss that removing the general was a mistake. He prepared a notecard with facts about Donahue that he planned to hand over during a brief car ride, according to the report. The card detailed Donahue's three-decade career, which included more than 20 deployments, the tracking down of terrorist leaders, and a central role in U.S. military efforts to help Ukraine push back against Russia.
None of those accomplishments, however, appeared first on Kasper's card. The top item sought to correct one of Hegseth's misconceptions: that the photograph of Donahue was not, in fact, a "selfie."
"The defense secretary glanced at the card and passed it back to his chief of staff," the Times reported. Hegseth's response, according to the paper: "I don't care."
