Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Department of Defense press secretary and White House communications director, revealed this week that the United States maintains actionable tactical plans to eliminate any global adversary—including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking on The View’s “Behind the Table” podcast following her return from maternity leave, Griffin asserted that while the U.S. possesses the military capability to oust high-level targets, the primary deterrent remains the unpredictable “second and third-order effects” of a power vacuum.
Griffin, 36, served as a top-tier insider during the first Trump administration before resigning in late 2020. Her comments come in the wake of the February 28 joint U.S.-Israeli operation that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“The easy part of war is killing the bad guys,” Griffin stated. “Having worked at the Department of Defense—and this isn’t anything I’m not supposed to say—I can tell you, the U.S. has plans to take out any bad guy in the world. We could take out Putin, and in fact, it would not be that difficult.”
The former official clarified that the hesitation to execute such plans is rarely a matter of logistics or capability. Instead, it is a calculation of the aftermath. “What does it lead to? Who replaces them? Is there a natural uprising with the people? Is it somebody who’s just as bad, if not worse?”
Griffin pointed to the current transition in Tehran as a primary example of these strategic risks. Following the death of the elder Khamenei, his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, was appointed Supreme Leader on March 8.
Griffin described the younger Khamenei as “just as radicalized” as his predecessor, warning that he is now fueled by a “mission of vengeance and martyrdom” following his father’s assassination. This assessment aligns with reports of a more aggressive posture from the Revolutionary Guard since the March transition.
Griffin’s credibility on national security matters stems from her dual roles at the Pentagon and the White House. Since resigning in December 2020, she has emerged as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, eventually cooperating with federal prosecutors in investigations regarding the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
Sources familiar with the 2023 probe confirmed Griffin provided first-hand accounts of internal White House dynamics during the transition of power.
The White House and the Pentagon have not yet officially responded to inquiries regarding Griffin’s latest assertions. However, her remarks underscore a long-standing reality of American “black-box” strategic planning: the capability to decapitate a regime is often ready, but the blueprint for the ensuing chaos remains unwritten.
