Leavitt: Joint Chiefs Chairman Replaced for “Doing a Bad Job”; Bongino Named FBI Deputy — “They Should Be Nervous”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt covered multiple major personnel and policy developments in a February 26, 2025, briefing. She said President Trump replaced the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because “he thinks he’s doing a bad job” and the Pentagon had “failed seven audits in a row.” She defended the appointment of Dan Bongino as FBI Deputy Director, saying the media’s “far-right podcaster” label was “despicable” for a former Secret Service agent, and warned that “when outsiders are appointed to such coveted positions, a lot of people in this city get very, very nervous — and they should be.” Leavitt also addressed government leakers, promising they would be “absolutely fired,” and celebrated Apple’s new U.S. investment as proof that Trump had “restored confidence in business leaders around this entire world.”

Joint Chiefs: “Bad Job, Seven Audits Failed”

A reporter asked the straightforward question: “What was the reason for the President naming a replacement for General Brown?”

Leavitt’s answer was characteristically direct: “He thinks he’s doing a bad job, and it’s time for a shake-up at the Pentagon.”

She provided the supporting evidence: “They failed seven audits in a row. The trust in our United States military amongst the warfighters is low.”

The seven consecutive failed audits was a powerful statistic. The Department of Defense had never passed a comprehensive financial audit since they became mandatory, and the failure to account for trillions of dollars in spending had become a symbol of institutional dysfunction. Leavitt connected the audit failures to the leadership that oversaw them, arguing that a chairman who presided over such fiscal chaos had not earned continued confidence.

“The President is shaking up the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, of course, with Secretary Hegseth leading,” Leavitt said. “And he has the right to do that. It’s actually quite common from administration to administration to do such a thing.”

The normalization of the replacement — “quite common” — was designed to counter the outrage cycle that followed the announcement. While the removal of a sitting Joint Chiefs chairman was unusual in peacetime, Leavitt’s point that presidential prerogative over military leadership was well-established served to deflate the constitutional crisis framing that some media outlets had adopted.

Dan Bongino: “He’s Not a Far-Right Podcaster”

Leavitt then pivoted to a passionate defense of Dan Bongino, whose appointment as FBI Deputy Director had drawn media criticism focused on his career as a conservative media personality.

“I’m not sure if anybody in this room has listened to Mr. Bongino when he talks about the past corruption at the FBI, when he talks about his experience serving for the United States Secret Service,” Leavitt said. “This is a man who loves his country and who has honorably served our country in ways that many people have not.”

She directly challenged the media’s characterization. “I think it’s quite despicable to see many networks in this room who have had chyrons on their television screens labeling Mr. Bongino as a ‘far-right podcaster,’” Leavitt said. “He is not. He is a former law enforcement agent. He is a former Secret Service agent who put his life on the line to protect this country.”

Leavitt then connected Bongino’s appointment to the broader reform mandate. “He’s also an outsider to this Washington swamp. And we often see that when outsiders are appointed to such coveted positions, a lot of people in this city get very, very nervous,” she said. “And they should be.”

The warning — “and they should be” — was the line that generated the most attention. Leavitt was telling the FBI’s institutional establishment, the broader intelligence community, and the permanent bureaucratic class that Bongino’s appointment was designed to make them uncomfortable. Comfort with the status quo was precisely the problem that needed disrupting.

“Dan Bongino and Kash Patel and Attorney General Bondi are focused on rooting out the corruption at these agencies and ending the weaponization of government,” Leavitt said. The grouping of Bongino, Patel, and Bondi into a single reform team signaled that the FBI, the broader intelligence community, and the Department of Justice were all being restructured as part of a coordinated effort.

Leakers: “Find Another Job”

Leavitt then addressed the ongoing problem of career government employees leaking sensitive information to the media, particularly information about ICE enforcement operations.

“I know the President and this White House, and Secretary Noem, for launching an internal investigation to identify those leakers, because it’s unacceptable for career bureaucrats who are standing in the way of the will of the American people in enacting President Trump’s agenda,” Leavitt said.

She issued a direct warning: “If they don’t want to adhere to the will of the 77 million Americans who re-elected President Trump, then they should go find another job.”

Leavitt escalated the language for the most serious category of leaks. “If they continue to leak information, especially information that is critical to protecting Border Patrol agents and ICE agents who are out there doing jobs that not many people are willing to do, putting their lives on the line to protect our national security, then those individuals absolutely should be fired,” she said. “And this administration is committed to finding them.”

The framing was effective because it tied the abstract concept of “leaking” to the physical safety of law enforcement officers. When ICE raid information was leaked, it was not merely a political inconvenience — it potentially endangered the lives of the agents conducting the operations. By centering the argument on officer safety rather than political loyalty, Leavitt made the anti-leak position difficult to oppose.

Apple Investment: “Restored Confidence”

Leavitt closed by celebrating Apple’s announced U.S. investment as evidence of the administration’s economic magnetism.

“President Trump is a dealmaker, and he has restored confidence in business leaders around this entire world,” Leavitt said. “Apple is one of the largest companies on the face of the planet. They employ hundreds of thousands of Americans, but the President wants to see more Americans employed, more investments here in the United States of America.”

She connected the investment to campaign promises: “This is another fulfillment of the President’s campaign promises. I recall President Trump at his rallies on the campaign telling the world that if and when I am elected, America is going to be back, and we want your investments to be driven onshore.”

Leavitt cited the policy framework that made the investments possible: “You will have the lowest regulatory burden, the lowest tax cuts, and the President has already proven he’s committed to slashing regulation. He’s counting on Congress to implement those tax cuts.”

She attributed the enthusiasm to Trump’s leadership specifically: “People are encouraged by the President’s — as Tim Cook called it — they’re bullish about American innovation because of the leadership of this President.”

The contrast with Biden was pointed: “That’s a stark contrast to the leadership of the previous administration, Joe Biden, who I don’t think spent any time trying to recruit any investments or jobs here at home.”

Key Takeaways

• Leavitt said Trump replaced the Joint Chiefs chairman because “he thinks he’s doing a bad job” and the Pentagon had “failed seven audits in a row.”
• She defended Dan Bongino’s FBI Deputy Director appointment, calling the media’s “far-right podcaster” label “despicable” for a former Secret Service agent who “put his life on the line.”
• Leavitt warned that “when outsiders are appointed to such coveted positions, a lot of people in this city get very nervous — and they should be.”
• She said leakers of ICE operational information “absolutely should be fired” and that the administration was “committed to finding them.”
• Apple’s investment was cited as proof that Trump had “restored confidence in business leaders around this entire world,” fulfilling campaign promises about onshoring.