By Dan Lamothe, Tara Copp, Noah Robertson and John Hudson
In the days before his abrupt dismissal, Navy Secretary John Phelan had grievances to air.
The billionaire campaign contributor — and friend of President Donald Trump — had sought out lawmakers on Capitol Hill, troubled by what he saw as a “land grab” by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Pentagon’s No. 2 political appointee, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, according to people familiar with the matter. Hegseth and Feinberg, Phelan said, had imposed rigid control over submarine and shipbuilding decisions, effectively usurping the Navy’s authority, these people said.
The private protest quickly got back to Hegseth, who, along with Feinberg, laid out a case for getting rid of the Navy secretary, people familiar with the matter said. Trump agreed, and on April 22 the Pentagon’s senior staff announced that one of Hegseth’s few remaining political rivals inside the department was out, “effective immediately.”
