According to reports, former top Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot is set to resign from the Defense Department later this week. This is the same department where three top aides have recently been suspended during an internal probe.
“I made clear to Secretary Hegseth before the Inauguration that I was not interested in being number two to anyone in public affairs, but I would be happy to stand up the Pentagon press operation on an acting basis for two months and get President Trump’s pick up to speed once he came on board,” Ullyot said in a written statement to The Hill on Thursday.
DoD DRAMA: Top Pentagon Official John Ullyot to Resign After DEI Controversy pic.twitter.com/b8r2Le3ckh
— SEGAMI (@segamihcfund) April 18, 2025
“Last month, as that time approached, the Secretary and I talked and could not come to an agreement on another good fit for me at DOD, so I informed him today that I will be leaving at the end of this week,” he continued. “It’s been an honor to serve alongside him as part of President Trump’s team, and I remain one of the Secretary’s strongest supporters going forward.”
However, a defense official revealed that the spokesman “was asked to resign”
Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot was asked to resign this week following an eventful start for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s communications office.
Ullyot was one of Hegseth’s initial communications office hires and oversaw some of its most highly visible moves,… pic.twitter.com/uF2HzTfpws
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) April 17, 2025
Ullyot filled the role of acting assistant to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for public affairs up until February. It was then that former U.S. Army airborne ranger and former Senate candidate Sean Parnell was selected as the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson.