Fired general accused of being source for Wall Street Journal, NYT

The Pentagon's former top military planner is under federal investigation and may face a court-martial for allegedly leaking to reporters from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, according to three sources familiar with the controversy. Why it matters: Former Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia was fired by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week after being accused of misconduct as part of the department's war on leaks. Sylvia failed four polygraphs and admitted to the incidents during two interviews on video that lasted more than a total of two hours, according to details from an internal Pentagon report shared with Axios. "The president has no tolerance for leakers, so Sylvia's termination is the first step in the accountability process, not the last," one of the sources said. Zoom in: Starting in the fall of 2025, the sources said, Sylvia gave information without authorization to reporters Michael Gordon of the Wall Street Journal and Greg Jaffe of the New York Times. Neither reporter is suspected or accused of doing anything illegal, improper or unprofessional in their reporting. Journalists often rely on confidential sources in reporting on issues that involve institutions where insiders aren't authorized to speak publicly. The report states Sylvia admitted to more extensive contacts with Gordon in 2025 and 2026, when the general allegedly shared classified information about Ukraine and Iran with the reporter. The Justice Department is investigating that. Only one discussion with Jaffe appears in the investigative report, concerning Hegseth's unexplained purging of military leaders. Sources said the unauthorized communication by Sylvia potentially violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice's prohibition of "conduct unbecoming of an officer." Behind the scenes: Sylvia allegedly admitted to first disclosing information to Gordon in the fall of 2025 when the two met in the Pentagon and discussed unspecified information about Ukraine, the sources said. After th