Hegseth asked top US military general to drop Kid Rock helicopter probe before firing him: Report

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Gen. Randy George, the US Army chief of staff who was forced to retire earlier this year, was reportedly asked to drop an investigation into a low-flying helicopter incident near musician Kid Rock’s Tennessee home days before his removal.Gen. Chris LaNeve, who was then the Army’s No. 2 officer and is now serving as acting Army chief of staff, told George that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wanted the probe to be discontinued, The Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.George, however, told colleagues that he believed the Army should complete the investigation in accordance with protocol. He was reportedly unnerved by the interaction with LaNeve, according to the report, which cited two other sources.The development offers a new detail about the circumstances surrounding George’s abrupt departure from the Army.Hegseth asked him to retire effective April 2, without publicly giving a reason for the decision.The controversy stems from a March 28 incident in which two Army AH-64 Apache helicopters flew at low altitude near Kid Rock’s property in Tennessee. The Army initially suspended the pilots and launched an administrative...