Gen. LaNeve Urged Army Chief to Drop Kid Rock Flyby Probe 3 Days Before Firing

1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Aug 26

Days before Gen. Randy George was fired on April 2, Gen. Chris LaNeve told him Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not want the Army’s probe into the March 28 Kid Rock helicopter flyby to continue, according to three people familiar with the matter.
George had wanted the review to follow normal protocol and determine whether safety rules were broken in the unauthorized flyby over Kid Rock’s Tennessee estate, a case that also drew scrutiny over a same-day helicopter pass above a “No Kings” protest.
Hegseth later shut down the investigation, cleared the aircrews and told them to “Carry on, Patriots,” after the incidents drew negative coverage; he has still not publicly explained George’s ouster.
The disclosure adds to questions around Hegseth’s broader purge of more than two dozen senior officers and could further complicate LaNeve’s bid to become Army chief, which already faces resistance in the Senate Armed Services Committee.