The White House is reviewing War Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent decision to pull four names from a military promotions list, which diverges from standard practice, Fox News reported Monday.

Hegseth made the unusual decision earlier this month, which prompted backlash from Democrats because two of the Army officers were allegedly black and two were allegedly women. The Pentagon, however, has denied that race or gender played a role in the removals.

"Under Secretary Hegseth, military promotions are given to those who have earned them," Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement. "Meritocracy, which reigns in this department, is apolitical and unbiased." 

Details on the reason for the removals have not been reported so far, but a U.S. official told Fox News that the officers were not under investigation, were not facing misconduct allegations and no formal explanation for the decision has been given to military leadership.

Hegseth's decision also comes after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll initially declined to remove the officers from the promotion list, and the clash between Driscoll and Hegseth caught the attention of the White House, which reviews promotions before they are sent to the Senate. 

The removals also come after the four officers' promotions were already approved by a promotions board.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.