The White House no longer trusts the Pentagonʼs investigation into the "leaked top-secret document" regarding options for regaining US control of the Panama Canal. All because Tim Parlator, the lawyer for the US Defense Secretary Pete Hegsett, has begun contradicting his own words.
This is reported by The Guardian, citing four people familiar with the matter.
In April, Hegseth fired three senior advisers — Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll, and Darin Selnick — and accused them of leaking information. In response, they claimed to be the victims of defamation, despite having worked with him for a long time.
Hegsethʼs personal lawyer Tim Parlator claimed that there was evidence linking them to the leak—that they were wiretapped by the National Security Agency (NSA). This explanation was troubling—the wiretap was likely illegal and could have become an even bigger scandal than the leak itself. Trump advisers later said that this was untrue, and that Parlator, who is overseeing the investigation, was providing them with questionable information.
The defense secretaryʼs lawyer later denied making the claims and claimed he had received the information from other sources in the Pentagon. After that, White House advisers to Donald Trump began to question the credibility of the investigation.
A Trump adviser recently told Hegsett that he did not believe any of the fired aides had leaked any information. He suggested that the investigation could simply be used as a pretext to fire aides involved in conflicts with Hegsett’s first chief of staff Joe Casper, who was also fired in April.
The Guardian writes that this situation adds to the problems for Hegseth before the Senate hearings, which will take place next month. His entire team is currently under tension due to the investigation into the leak, which has been going on for almost a month, but still there is no new evidence or an official appeal to the FBI.
As a result, Hegseth was left without a chief of staff and his deputy. He is now assisted by six senior advisers who together run his office. Although Hegsethʼs former junior aide Ricky Buria is effectively acting as chief, the White House has not allowed him to be officially appointed to this position. The reason is his lack of experience and involvement in internal conflicts within the team.
The Pentagon is not commenting on the situation. The White House only stated that President Trump trusts the Secretary of Defense and is confident that the ministryʼs leadership shares his desire to restore a combat-ready and effective army.
Why is the Panama Canal important?
The Panama Canal creates a strategic waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, shortening the sea route by thousands of kilometers, thereby reducing the cost of transporting goods and reducing delivery times. Control of the canal is a strategic advantage, as it is an important point for global trade and military transport. The United States built the Panama Canal in 1920, and in 1999 it was transferred to full control of Panama.
In his inaugural address on January 20, the US President Donald Trump called the transfer of the Panama Canal to Panama a “stupid gift”. In his opinion, the Panama Canal is “run” by China. Reuters noted that China does not control or operate the canal. However, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings operates two ports located at the entrances to the canal. This makes the waterway allegedly vulnerable to pressure from the Chinese government.
The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanded that Chinaʼs influence over the Panama Canal be immediately reduced or face sanctions from the Donald Trump administration. So in early March 2025, the American investment company BlackRock reported that it would acquire two major Panama Canal ports from their current owner in Hong Kong.
After that, Trump said that Washington had begun taking steps to regain control of the Panama Canal: "My administration will take back the Panama Canal, and we have already begun to do so."
- NBC NEWS reported in March that the White House has instructed the US military to develop options for increasing the presence of U.S. troops in Panama to fulfill Donald Trumpʼs goal of "taking back" the Panama Canal. Trump wants to increase the US military presence in Panama to reduce Chinaʼs influence there, including access to the canal.
- According to media reports, the US is developing various potential plans, from a closer partnership with Panamanian security forces to the less likely option of a forceful takeover.
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