Former Pentagon spokesman tied to online DEI purge was asked to resign, official says

WASHINGTON — Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot was asked to resign this week, a senior Defense official told the Associated Press on Thursday, in the latest shake-up for the Defense Department after firings and other changes under President Trump.

Ullyot was one of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s initial hires for the communications office and oversaw some of its most highly visible but controversial moves, including a broad edict to the military services to strip away online images and other content considered a promotion of diversity, equity or inclusion.

That directive, given under a wide-ranging Trump administration effort to purge so-called diversity, equity and inclusion content from federal agencies, led to public outcry when images of national heroes such as Jackie Robinson were briefly removed.

Ullyot’s departure is the fourth this week among Hegseth’s former inner circle. Three other senior officials were escorted from the building after being implicated in an ongoing investigation into information leaks: Colin Carroll, chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg; Darin Selnick, Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff; and Dan Caldwell, an aide to Hegseth.

It was not immediately clear what leaks led to the departures. Selnick and Caldwell had worked with the Defense secretary during his time leading the nonprofit Concerned Veterans for America.

Ullyot told Politico on Wednesday he had decided to resign. A senior Defense official familiar with the decision said that wasn’t the case and that Hegseth’s office had requested that Ullyot resign. Ullyot did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The resignation Wednesday was not tied to the inquiry into the unauthorized disclosures. Two other U.S. officials said Carroll, Selnick and Caldwell were placed on leave in that investigation.

All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public.

The departures follow a purge of senior military officers, including Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown; Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti; National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command chief Gen. Tim Haugh; and Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the U.S. military representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Military Committee.

Copp writes for the Associated Press.