Joe Kasper

Joe Kasper, the departing chief of staff, leaves the role voluntarily and will become a part-time special government employee with a focus on science, technology and industry. he designation means he may work up to 130 days as a government employee in any one 365-day period, in similar fashion to a role that billionaire Elon Musk has held. Defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be candid about the situation, have described DOD head Pete Hegseth as paranoid and increasingly isolated. Kasper, an Air Force veteran, served for years on Capitol Hill, climbing to serve as chief of staff to Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-California), a Marine Corps veteran who was convicted in 2020 of stealing campaign finance funds. Kasper departed Capitol Hill in 2017 and held roles during the first Trump administration in the Navy, Air Force and Department of Homeland Security. More recently, Kasper worked as a lobbyist for the Ervin Graves Strategy Group. He said Thursday that he expects he may ultimately return to lobbying.