— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth tried to derail Gen. Christopher Donahue’s career over his association with the chaotic 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, despite Donahue not being responsible for security at Abbey Gate, where 13 U.S. service members were killed, NYT reports.Hegseth decided in early 2025 to block Donahue from becoming the top U.S. military officer in Europe.
When his then-chief of staff, Joe Kasper, presented evidence defending Donahue — including that Marines, not Donahue’s paratroopers, controlled Abbey Gate during the bombing — Hegseth responded: “I don’t care.”
Donahue was the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan, becoming widely associated with the withdrawal after a famous night-vision photograph showed him boarding the final aircraft. Hegseth mistakenly viewed the image as a “selfie” and remained focused on Donahue’s connection to Kabul despite his supporters pointing out that he had actually pushed to close Abbey Gate before the suicide bombing.
