Leaked Pentagon Chat Reveals Vulgar Nickname Used for Army Chief

“He’s a swamp creature,” one Pentagon official said.

Another called him “a hill rat.”

An Army officer offered an even harsher description, saying he is known as “Big P***y.”

The target of those insults is Adam Telle, a former Capitol Hill aide and White House official in his mid-forties. Telle previously ran the office of a prominent Republican senator and received President Donald Trump’s endorsement when he was selected as acting Army secretary in September.

Telle was viewed as a familiar figure who would keep a low profile and avoid upsetting the Pentagon’s internal balance. His ambitions, however, may have been underestimated.

The acting Army secretary is now facing a barrage of humiliating nicknames as he seeks to make the temporary post permanent—despite opposition from Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials, according to multiple department sources who spoke anonymously to discuss internal matters.

The dispute adds to the growing palace intrigue surrounding Hegseth’s tenure, during which a power struggle has emerged over senior military appointments, including service secretaries, generals and admirals.

Sources told the Daily Mail that Hegseth wants his friend and current chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, to take the Army secretary role. That preference has set up another Pentagon confrontation, one that is increasingly dividing Republicans.

Telle assumed the position after the abrupt departure of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll last month. Driscoll reportedly left following disagreements with Hegseth and the defense secretary’s removal of numerous senior officials.

Although Hegseth had told Pentagon officials that Telle’s appointment would be temporary, the acting Army secretary has been working to secure the position on a permanent basis, according to the sources.

The Army secretary is the civilian leader responsible for training and equipping roughly one million soldiers and more than 220,000 civilian employees. With the United States engaged in an active war with Iran, the Pentagon facing recent turnover and reports of pressure on munitions supplies, the role involves major decisions that could influence the future of the nation’s largest military branch.

Yet Telle’s opponents inside the Pentagon have made their hostility clear.

“He’s never served a f***ing day in uniform,” one Army official told the Daily Mail. The official added that some Army staff use the nickname “Big P***y,” either affectionately or otherwise.

Three Pentagon officials said the offensive nickname is linked in part to Telle’s opposition to the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood terrorist.

The nickname was also reportedly tied to an “embarrassing photo” of Telle that circulated around the Pentagon. The image shows the senior Army official wearing a blue shirt and relatively tight khaki trousers, with one foot raised.

“The photo and his pushback against the firing squad earned him the nickname that’s going around: ‘Big P***y,’” one Pentagon source said.

Some Army officers also reportedly use a group chat called “BigP[cat emoji] updates.” The protected chat is used to share Pentagon developments and military banter, with messages set to delete automatically.

Parnell, on the other hand, an Army veteran who earned two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart for his roughly six years of service from 2004 to 2010, is Hegseth’s preferred choice to land the Army secretary post. 

‘The secretary has talked to the president about Sean,’ a Pentagon official told the Daily Mail, adding that Parnell is Hegseth’s ‘only pick’ for the role.

Parnell is backed by Senators Dave McCormick, a former Army officer, and Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL.

‘There have been a lot of stories of late about [Parnell] being considered to be our next Secretary of the Army. I hope it’s true. Sean is a good friend, a decorated combat veteran, a true patriot, and a fellow Pennsylvanian,’ McCormick posted on X last month.

Sheehy reposted it, adding: ‘Sean has been doing a tremendous job alongside at the Department of War.’

Other Senate Republicans are wary. 

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Senator Thom Tillis worried Parnell would be too much of an ‘echo chamber’ for Hegseth, who he regrets confirming. Senator Kevin Cramer said past spousal abuse allegations against Parnell would be ‘a bridge too far for the vast majority of people.’ 

Parnell has denied those allegations. He has never been charged with a crime. 

Telle spent years on Capitol Hill and served in the first Trump administration. He was confirmed as Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works in August 2025. 

But what he’s lacked in military service, he’s made up with a key Capitol Hill ally. 

His former boss, Senator Bill Hagerty, said last month that Telle was ‘the man for the moment’. His office wouldn’t comment on meeting with Telle about his potential confirmation. 

But the Telle-Parnell rivalry is beginning to spill out into public view.  

Last week at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, Hegseth, Telle and the other service secretaries were due to speak on a panel.

But Parnell opened it with an impromptu three-minute speech.

Sources say Parnell was not on the schedule and video shows Telle abruptly turning his head, apparently caught off guard.

Three Pentagon sources said that once the hour-long session ended, Telle was overheard fuming to his team that Parnell had been given the spotlight.

‘He’s pretty pissed off that Sean Parnell showed up, or Hegseth allowed him to show up, and he just kept talking to multiple people about it,’ one source said. ‘He doesn’t want anyone on his turf.

‘It’s pretty glaringly obvious that he wants this job, even though, from my understanding, it was always supposed to be a temporary thing, and he’s not happy about it.’

Both men deny any feud, and neither has said publicly that he wants the job. Parnell did not address the nickname.

‘I have a great working relationship with Adam Telle and consider him a friend. Any claim otherwise is totally made up. Adam is doing a great job in his acting role as Secretary of the Army, and the Department is grateful for his leadership,’ Parnell said.

Telle called the claims ‘fake news.’

‘Fake news from anonymous sources, every word of which is totally fabricated, will not prevent Secretary Hegseth, Sean, and me from remaining coordinated, fully aligned, and united under the leadership of President Trump. Sean is a great leader, who I respect and genuinely enjoy working with.’

Trump has yet to nominate anyone, and no candidate can get a Senate hearing until he does.

‘It would be inappropriate for anyone to be talking to lawmakers before getting the nomination,’ a senior Pentagon official said. ‘Being presumptuous like that would likely p*** off the White House.’

Under federal vacancy rules, Telle would have to give up the acting role if he were nominated. With few legislative days left this year, he is likely to remain acting secretary until at least early next year.

‘He was told from the beginning that he is a temp,’ the official said. ‘Telle is just keeping the seat warm.’

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