Hegseth’s brother serving as a connection, advisor inside the pentagon

By Tara Copp, Associated Press

Washington (AP) – The younger brother of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, occupies a key position inside the Pentagon as a department of internal security and main advisor, confirmed the HegSeth office.

The high-level work has noted meetings with a UFC combat champion, a trip to Guantanamo Bay and, at the moment, traveling on the 747 Pentagon planes while Hegseth makes his first trip as a defense secretary of the Indo-Pacific.

The official title of Phil Hegseth is the main advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Internal Security and the liaison officer of the Ministry of Defense, spokesperson Kingsley Wilson said on Thursday.

“Phil Hegseth, one of the many connections of the talented DHS in Dod, leads points of contact with the Coastal Guard officials during the secretary’s Indo-Pacific Travel”, which includes stops in Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines and Japan, “said Wilson in response to a request from the Associated Press.

Border security, the responsibility of the DHS, was highlighted as one of President Donald Trump’s main priorities, and thousands of American troops were deployed on the border to help the DHS brake illegal immigration.

Liaison roles are common

It is common for the Ministry of Defense and other federal agencies to have links. Each military branch sends bonds to Capitol Hill. The Pentagon, the State Department and others use all of interinishing links to coordinate and keep an eye on politics.

But it is not common for higher level positions to be occupied by members of the chief of staff, said Michael Fallings, Director Partner at Tully Rinckey PLLC, specializing in federal employment law.

Based on the CV accessible to the public of Phil Hegseth, his past experience includes the foundation of his own production company in Podcast, Embassy and Third, and working on social networks and podcasts at the Hudson Institute.

This is not the first time that Phil Hegseth has worked alongside his older brother. When Pete Hegseth was CEO of Concluded Veterans for America, a non-profit organization that fell in financial difficulty during his stay there, he paid $ 108,000 to his brother to make relations with the media for the organization, according to the federal tax archives.

In a press release, the Ministry of Internal Security confirmed the title of post of Phil Hegseth and said that “the inter -institutions mission was part of Mr. Hegseth’s overview”, which probably means “competence”.

DHS said Phil Heg Hegseth, while in the Indo-Pacific Travel, met representatives of internal security surveys, the branch of the department’s police, “and other DHS components and inter-standing partners”.

The Pentagon did not respond to a request to interview Phil Hegseth. Neither the Pentagon nor the Ministry of Internal Security answered questions about its work qualifications.

An ally close to the secretary

He was the close ally of his brother, appearing alongside him throughout his difficult confirmation process in the Senate. In the photos, while Pete Hegseth was walking in the corridors of the congress, Phil Hegseth is often there by his side.

He now has offices just at the bottom of the corridor of him along the Pentagon electronic ring, according to an American official familiar with the location of the office, who spoke under the cover of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.

The photos published by the official account of the defense secretary show Phil Hegseth of the Secretary of Defense at the secretary’s table while he met high-level officials or guests, including the championship of the Ultimate Combat Championship Conor McGregor this month.

He went to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with Pete Hegseth in February.

The laws on nepotism guide the hiring of the government

A federal 1967 nepotism law prohibits government representatives from hiring, promoting or recommending relatives to any civil position on which they exercise control.

An image of an organizational board of office obtained by the Associated Press shows Phil Hegseth in a small group of civil servants directly under his brother, with Phil Hegseth labeled as principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense.

A more in -depth examination of the hiring of Phil Hegseth would be necessary to determine if it has taken the hand of the federal laws on nepotism, “but that does not pass the test of the smell,” said Fallings.

However, if it is fully used by the DHS, this “would avoid a violation of nepotism, unless it can be demonstrated that (Pete) HegSeth has been involved in hiring or had affirmed his authority to help hire his brother.”

The DHS did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on the question of whether it employs Phil Heg Heg Heg Heg, if it is paid and if so at what level of federal remuneration.

There are also some exceptions to the law on nepotism for the president’s office. During his first term, Trump appointed his son -in -law Jared Kushner to be his main advisor. When he was president, Bill Clinton appointed First Lady Hillary Clinton to sit in her health care working group.

In the Biden administration, Jake Sullivan was a national security advisor to the president while his brother, Tom Sullivan, was the counselor of the State Department.

Originally published: March 28, 2025 at 2:21 p.m.