Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Cassandra Driscoll, wife of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, donated the maximum allowable $6,600 to Democrat Rep. Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) during the 2024 campaign cycle. Goodlander is a member of the so-called Seditious Six, a group of Democratic lawmakers who released a video in November 2025 publicly urging U.S. military personnel to refuse what they described as unlawful or unconstitutional orders from the Trump administration.
Goodlander is also the wife of Jake Sullivan, a top Biden national security operative and former National Security Advisor who has been critical of the Department of War and the Trump administration.
The emergence of this prior political contribution from Driscoll’s wife to a Democrat member of Congress known for her criticism of President Trump comes at a time of tension inside the Pentagon. Just last week, Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who had served as Driscoll’s close ally and former chief of staff. Laura Loomer reported in December that Driscoll had tension with the Trump Administration’s broader agenda and claimed he was somewhat of a “resistance” figure Democrats could rely upon. That reporting has picked up steam over the past several weeks, with multiple outlets, including The Hill, also reporting that Driscoll is viewed as a "resistance" figure and that the tension has turned into a “turf war.”
ALSO SEE: Pete Hegseth Gives the Army Chief of Staff His Walking Papers
Hegseth Stops a Nonsensical and Virtue-Signaling Investigation of Army Aviators Dead in Its Tracks
A source close to Driscoll told RedState that the connection is longstanding and personal. “The Driscolls met Maggie Goodlander at law school over a decade ago and were friends long before Dan entered public life,” the source said. Rep. Goodlander has been one of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s most outspoken critics, repeatedly declaring him unfit for the role and calling for his resignation.
In 2020, Driscoll ran for Congress in North Carolina as a Republican, losing in the primary to Madison Cawthorn. Loomer’s December reporting showed that Goodlander had maxed out with a $2,800 donation to Driscoll’s 2020 congressional campaign. Driscoll, Goodlander, and Sullivan all overlapped at Yale Law School. The financial relationship is notable given the opposing political roles, but it aligns with the tendency of Ivy League alumni to maintain personal networks that transcend partisan divides. When Sullivan spoke highly of Driscoll during Driscoll’s confirmation hearing, including to one Democrat senator to help sway votes in Driscoll’s favor, it was featured in campus newspapers. An Army spokesperson told RedState that the Army “is an apolitical organization” and it “does not comment on political affairs.” The spokesperson added that any notion of misconduct from Secretary Driscoll or any Army leader is “categorically untrue.”
The donation presents awkward optics and coincidence, but top Army brass dismiss any suggestion of impropriety. How the Pentagon reconciles these overlapping personal and political ties will likely shape the next chapter of a potentially intensifying power struggle between the inner circles of Secretary Hegseth and Army Secretary Driscoll.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
Help us report on Trump and Hegesth's successes as they make our military great again. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member