Source: Driscoll 'Waiting in Wings' to Help in Ukraine Peace Negotiations
Dec. 17—Sources close to the White House accused the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph of printing gossip about an alleged coup being organized Army Secretary Dan Driscoll against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth which would place Driscoll at the head of the Department. The paper known as the Torygraph for is close links to Britain's failing Conservative Party, claimed that Hegseth's animus towards Driscoll, who is close to Vice President JD Vance, caused him to allegedly demand that Driscoll be pulled out negotiations with Kyiv over the Trump Peace plan.
This conspiracy was buttressed from inside the MAGA crowd by influencer Laura Loomer. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer who "reported" Dec. 1, that “Individuals in the office of U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll have been orchestrating a coup against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth in an effort to have him removed by President Trump and replaced by Dan Driscoll.”
Loomer explained that Driscoll was, from his Yale Law School days, “very close,” not to J.D. Vance, but to Jake Sullivan, Sleepy Joe Biden's National Security Advisor. For Loomer, the J.D. Vance connection with Driscoll was incidental, useful only for getting him promoted in Trump circles. She concluded: “Now, Sullivan is working with high level Army officials in Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s office to force Pete Hegseth out and install Dan Driscoll as Secretary of War.”
These White House sources deny this nonsense and say Trump has expressed his confidence in both Driscoll and Hegseth, which has been confirmed in public statements by White House press spokesman. Driscoll has also disclaimed any interest in assuming Hegseth's post.
Wither Kellogg?
But they report that there is a game afoot, led by the Europeans, and their NATO-backed dictator of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy to prevent the Army Secretary from being named Trump's Special Envoy to Ukraine when the current holder of that post Gen. (ret.) Keith Kellogg retires early next year. The are reportedly joined in this effort by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who like Kellogg, wants the U.S. to take a tougher stance against Russia and its President Vladimir Putin, and has lobbied for NATO and European interests inside the Administration.
These sources also confirm that it was Kellogg who had leaked the 28-point Trump Peace proposal to give the Russophobes in the Administration, the Europeans, and Zelenskyy a chance to lobby against it, including among Republicans in the Congress to force its modification. Trump has pushed Kellogg aside, without firing him, and had inserted Driscoll into his team working on the peace deal. The Army Secretary was given the task of presenting the plan to the Ukrainians in Kyiv, becoming the highest ranking Trump administration official to actually travel to Ukraine.
Driscoll Did His Job
Driscoll did his job exactly how Trump and his team led by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff wanted. With the Ukrainians expressing open hostility to both the plan and Driscoll, the Army Secretary reportedly told them that they had to accept the reality of the battlefield and agree to cede territory to the Russians. Stop lying to yourselves, he said; you have lost this war, and you must accept fair terms. That is what the President is trying to win for you. The Nov. 28 meeting ended with the Ukrainians, led by Zelenskyy, refusing to make any concessions.
"The President was pleased with Driscoll's blunt statement of policy," said a source. When asked why he has not been involved in subsequent meetings, the source said that the Trump team had decided to put Witkoff and presidential son-in-law Jared Kushner back into the middle of the process, following their meeting with Putin in Moscow. The source reported that Zelenskyy demanded that he be able to talk directly with Witkoff.
"Driscoll is waiting in the wings and he will be used as an emissary when needed," the source said. "There is a lot going on here, and the White House will use all that it needs to drive a deal home.
Europe, NATO Not Party to Negotiations
"Europe is really not a party to what is going on here. They have their own demands, but these have already been rejected by the Russians. Almost nothing they say is helpful, and much of it is harmful to the point of sabotage. The President has made it clear to the Russians that there are only three parties in this process—Russia and Ukraine, with the United States brokering a deal. In these negotiations, the United States is not representing NATO or Europe, nor even the Ukraine. We are representing peace-- and end to this war and an end to all future conflict. From how it is seen here, Europe and NATO are not seeking peace but are preparing for an insane war with Russia and would continue the war in Ukraine as part of this mobilization. We are seeking peace. Zelenskyy must decide where he stands—for peace, or for more war and death, and an even bigger war in the future. And if he wants war, then the Ukrainians who want peace will have to find a new leader.
"Dan Driscoll wants peace," the source concluded, "and he will do what is necessary to achieve this, serving his President and the best interests of the American people."