Another senior advisor to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has departed the Pentagon, and as usual, conflicting media reports on the nature of the exit are being exploited by some to attack the president's appointed head of the U.S. armed forces.

The Defense Department confirmed on Saturday that Justin Fulcher, a senior advisor to Hegseth, has resigned his position after just six months of work at the Pentagon, Fox News reported.

Yet, while both the DoD and Fulcher described the parting of ways as "amicable" and "planned," other media outlets alleged that Fulcher had been fired and was a center of controversy, which those outlets then predictably used to attack Hegseth's credibility and leadership.

Resignation announced and confirmed

In a statement posted to his X account, Fulcher said, "As planned, I’ve completed 6 months of service in government to my country. Working alongside the dedicated men and women of the Department of Defense has been incredibly inspiring."

"Revitalizing the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military, and reestablishing deterrence are just some of the historic accomplishments I'm proud to have witnessed. Still, this is just the beginning," he continued. "None of this could have happened without Secretary Hegseth's decisive leadership or President Trump's continued confidence in our team."

"I'm grateful to both, and to the extraordinary civilians and service members who turn vision into action every day," Fulcher added. "I will continue to champion American warfighters in all future endeavors and remain impressed by the work of the Department of Defense."

Fox News reported that Fulcher separately informed the outlet that he had formally resigned on Thursday of his own accord and "amicably" decided to move on, and further praised the "great work" done by Secretary Hegseth "for our troops and country."

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the former senior advisor's departure from service, and said, "The Department of Defense is grateful to Justin Fulcher for his work on behalf of President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. We wish him well in his future endeavors."

Resigned or fired?

While all of that may sound relatively "standard," per Fox News, other media outlets portrayed the situation rather differently, such as CBS News, which reported that Fulcher had been "ousted" from his senior advisory role, with the clear implication being that he was fired, despite the amicable nature of the statements from both Fulcher and the Pentagon.

Likewise, The Washington Post's report similarly implied that Fulcher's departure was controversial, even as it acknowledged that Pentagon spokesman Parnell said Fulcher was a "great guy" and that it was "not fair" to characterize his exit as being fired.

Fulcher also informed The Post that his leaving the Pentagon had been "completely amicable" and planned ahead of time to occur around the six-month mark of his government service.

Alleged controversies

According to CBS News, Fulcher began working at the Pentagon earlier this year as part of a Department of Government Efficiency team, but in April was promoted to be part of a special DoD leadership team and a senior advisor to Secretary Hegseth.

Per The Post, that promotion in April occurred just days after Fulcher was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with the DOGE team lead, Yinon Weiss, which reportedly required Hegseth's intervention to settle the dispute. The outlet further reported that Fulcher's "standing in the administration" took another hit in June when he allegedly overpromised but underdelivered on a supposed method to identify suspected leakers in the Department.

According to The Post, Fulcher is the sixth member of Hegseth's inner circle of advisors to leave the Pentagon in six months, which includes three senior staffers who were fired in April for alleged leaks to the media, his former chief of staff who left for a job in the private sector, and a former Pentagon spokesman who resigned after just a few months on the job.