Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are scheduled to brief the main legislators known as “Gang of Eight” behind closed doors on Tuesday, three officials told ABC News.
Separately, Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters he hopes to speak this week with Admiral Alvin Holsey, who unexpectedly announced this fall that he would be leaving his post as head of U.S. Southern Command after less than a year on the job. It was not immediately clear how Holsey would meet with lawmakers and whether it would be in person or virtually.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
The Gang of Eight briefing of President Donald Trump’s national security team follows the finalizing the administration’s national security strategy, a planning document that details America’s long-term vision for protecting the nation. But lawmakers were also expected to raise questions about the legality of military strikes in the Caribbean and, in particular, the deaths of two survivors of a deadly attack on September 2.
Holsey’s next discussion with lawmakers is an indication that some legislators They are quietly carrying out their own investigation into the attacks on the ships and Hegseth’s orders to the uniformed military.
Sources said that before Holsey announced his retirement, he had expressed concerns to Hegseth’s team about military operations in the Latin American region, although it was unclear whether he had reservations about the legality of the campaign. Hegseth has insisted that the attacks are legal, including those that killed the two survivors last September.
Last week, a Pentagon official told ABC News that he was “asked to leave on good terms.” Holsey’s last day in uniform is Friday. He served 37 years in uniform.
The Gang of Eight refers to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, along with the minority and majority leaders of the House and Senate, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
