Pete Hegseth's Top Staffer Is Reportedly Feeding Into The Biggest Rumors About Him

One man's brag is another man's boot, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's top staffer might be the reason he gets the latter. An exclusive report from the New York Post on April 3, 2026, revealed that Hegseth's chief of staff, Ricky Buria, has been deploying a less-than-flattering tactic to test for leaks in the Department of Defense.

Two colleagues from within the department corroborated the claim that Buria had been boasting about sneaking past security in early 2025 with Hegseth in order to go out drinking. With additional details that the two had been in disguise, Buria's colleagues were immediately suspicious of his motives behind telling them. Hegseth's history of alleged alcohol abuse is one of the many rumors that will haunt his career, which made this anecdote ripe for scandal if Hegseth's underlings didn't remain vigilant.

One source told the New York Post, "My first impression of it was he was trying to figure out if I was going to tell other people. But then I come to find out a couple months later that he was running around telling people." Another source stated, "It was a weird way of him bragging. It was clearly part of this whole bizarre effort to make it seem like he was Pete's best friend and confidant." None of the sources believe that Buria was operating with Hegseth's approval, and with President Donald Trump's shady comments about the Secretary of Defense (or War, if you will) already putting his employment on shaky ground, it's unlikely that this pseudo-investigation would have been appreciated.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been open about his history of drinking after leaving the military. Nonetheless, rumors of a relapse are the last thing he needs running rampant within the Department of Defense.

The Daily Beast reported in December 2024 that Hegseth's sobriety was one of the promises he was willing to make should he be sworn into his current position, making top staffer Ricky Buria's story of disguised drunken capers all the more damning. However, aside from spreading rumors about his close ally, Buria's influence on the DOD has also been met with harsh criticism by his colleagues. The New York Post reported that Defense Department employees were very frustrated with him, explaining, "From day one, both as a military aide and then as a chief of staff, Ricky has consistently heightened the level of drama, paranoia and infighting in the secretary's office."

His colleagues' suspicion also reportedly stems from his ability to work his way up the ranks, as Buria was initially a holdover from President Joe Biden's administration, and quickly managed to infiltrate Hegseth's inner circle. President Donald Trump had also reportedly had reservations about appointing Buria as Hegseth's chief of staff, but relented in December 2025.

Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson has further dismissed this story, telling the New York Post, "This is false, and the Department is not going to entertain Washington gossip while we are focused on major military operations abroad." Hegseth has had several embarrassing moments throughout Trump's second term already, and sometimes secondhand embarrassment can be just as bad, if not worse.