Leaked Pentagon group chat reveals vulgar nickname for Trump-pick Army chief: Read texts laying bare ugly new war at very top of Pete Hegseth’s department

‘He’s a swamp creature,’ one Pentagon official said. 

‘A hill rat,’ claimed another. 

An Army officer deployed the most callous blow: ‘He’s called “Big P***y.”‘ 

He is Adam Telle, a mid-forties former Capitol Hill aide and White House official who ran the office of a key GOP Senator and won fawning praise from President Donald Trump to be tapped as acting Army Secretary in September. 

Telle was seen as a known entity who would keep his head down and not rattle the cage upon his interim appointment. But perhaps his ambition was underestimated.  

The acting Army secretary now finds himself battered with degrading nicknames as he embarks on a quest to make his job permanent over the objections of Pete Hegseth and Pentagon brass, according to multiple department officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. 

The palace intrigue is the latest drama playing out under Hegseth’s tenure, under which a turf war has erupted over senior military positions from service secretaries to generals and admirals. 

Hegseth has made clear he wants his friend and current chief spokesman Sean Parnell to take the role, sources told the Daily Mail, setting up another Pentagon clash that’s quickly dividing Republicans. 

Telle won the job after the sudden departure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll last month, reportedly over his disagreements with Hegseth and the leader’s firing of many senior officials. 

Though Hegseth had made clear to Pentagon officials Telle’s role would be temporary, the ambitious new Army official has been working to land the gig full-time, according to these sources. 

The Secretary of the Army is the civilian leader tasked with training and equipping the one million or so soldiers and over 220,000 civilians in the force. Given the active Iran war, recent Pentagon turnover and reported munitions strain, the job carries weighty decisions that could shape the future of the US military’s largest branch. 

But the knives are out for Telle.  

‘He’s never served a f***ing day in uniform,’ one Army official griped to the Daily Mail. ‘So, you know, affectionately or unaffectionately he’s called “Big P***y” through some of the Army staff, which is kind of hilarious.’

The vicious nickname stems from Telle’s advocating against the firing squad death of the Fort Hood terrorist Nidal Hasan, according to three Pentagon officials. 

It also emanates from an ’embarrassing photo’ of the Army official that ‘was making the rounds in the building.’ It shows the senior Army official in a blue shirt and tighter khakis with one foot pointed up. 

One Pentagon source put it plainly: ‘The photo and the pushback on the firing squad earned him the nickname that’s going around: “Big P***y.”‘

One group chat used by some Army officers is even called ‘BigP[cat emoji] updates.’ In it, Army officials send the latest Pentagon updates and military smack talk, though it is protected and the messages are scheduled to automatically delete. 

Parnell, on the other hand, an Army veteran who earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for his roughly six years of service from 2004 to 2010, is Hegseth’s preferred choice to land the Army secretary post. 

‘The secretary has talked to the president about Sean,’ a Pentagon official told the Daily Mail, adding that Parnell is Hegseth’s ‘only pick’ for the role.

Parnell is backed by Senators Dave McCormick, a former Army officer, and Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL.

‘There have been a lot of stories of late about [Parnell] being considered to be our next Secretary of the Army. I hope it’s true. Sean is a good friend, a decorated combat veteran, a true patriot, and a fellow Pennsylvanian,’ McCormick posted on X last month.

Sheehy reposted it, adding: ‘Sean has been doing a tremendous job alongside at the Department of War.’

Other Senate Republicans are wary. 

Senator Thom Tillis worried Parnell would be too much of an ‘echo chamber’ for Hegseth, who he regrets confirming. Senator Kevin Cramer said past spousal abuse allegations against Parnell would be ‘a bridge too far for the vast majority of people.’ 

Parnell has denied those allegations. He has never been charged with a crime. 

Telle spent years on Capitol Hill and served in the first Trump administration. He was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works in August 2025. 

But what he’s lacked in military service, he’s made up with a key Capitol Hill ally. 

His former boss, Senator Bill Hagerty, said last month that Telle was ‘the man for the moment’. His office wouldn’t comment on meeting with Telle about his potential confirmation. 

But the Telle-Parnell rivalry is beginning to spill out into public view.  

Last week at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, Hegseth, Telle and the other service secretaries were due to speak on a panel.

But Parnell opened it with an impromptu three-minute speech.

Sources say Parnell was not on the schedule and video shows Telle abruptly turning his head, apparently caught off guard.

Three Pentagon sources said that once the hour-long session ended, Telle was overheard fuming to his team that Parnell had been given the spotlight.

‘He’s pretty pissed off that Sean Parnell showed up, or Hegseth allowed him to show up, and he just kept talking to multiple people about it,’ one source said. ‘He doesn’t want anyone on his turf.

‘It’s pretty glaringly obvious that he wants this job, even though, from my understanding, it was always supposed to be a temporary thing, and he’s not happy about it.’

Both men deny any feud, and neither has said publicly that he wants the job. Parnell did not address the nickname.

‘I have a great working relationship with Adam Telle and consider him a friend. Any claim otherwise is totally made up. Adam is doing a great job in his acting role as Secretary of the Army, and the Department is grateful for his leadership,’ Parnell said.

Telle called the claims ‘fake news.’

‘Fake news from anonymous sources, every word of which is totally fabricated, will not prevent Secretary Hegseth, Sean, and me from remaining coordinated, fully aligned, and united under the leadership of President Trump. Sean is a great leader, who I respect and genuinely enjoy working with.’

Trump has yet to nominate anyone, and no candidate can get a Senate hearing until he does.

‘It would be inappropriate for anyone to be talking to lawmakers before getting the nomination,’ a senior Pentagon official said. ‘Being presumptuous like that would likely p*** off the White House.’

Under federal vacancy rules, Telle would have to give up the acting role if he were nominated. With few legislative days left this year, he is likely to remain acting secretary until at least early next year.

‘He was told from the beginning that he is a temp,’ the official said. ‘Telle is just keeping the seat warm.’

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