Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing imminent humiliation in the fallout from the midterm elections.
Republican lawmakers and allies are reportedly earmarking Hegseth, 46, as the fall guy for voters turning against Donald Trump, 80, over his war on Iran, according to a new report by CNN.
They argue that the former Fox News host played a critical role in convincing the president to start the war without having a clear exit strategy, or a suitable plan to deal with the political fallout from the conflict.
The House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon chief, according to the report.
CNN White House reporter Kristen Holmes expanded on the growing Washington “backlash” against Hegseth on Wednesday.
“We’re seeing a real snowball effect here,” Holmes said, noting that CNN’s reporters had spoken to Republican Thomas Massie, who said he plans on triggering a vote to impeach Hegseth as soon as Congress comes back next week.
CNN also cited multiple GOP sources who said they expect it to pass.
Holmes repeated the claims that Hegseth was seen as “the chief cheerleader in pushing President Trump to go into Iran without any kind of exit strategy.”
Holmes added, “They’re clearly getting some of this feedback from the White House, from the administration; they’re getting that green light to go ahead with this, because you’re hearing dozens of Republicans here talking about Pete Hegseth, and really turning on him very quickly.”
Holmes said sources in the “Trump orbit” said the president had been “asking people about the job they believe Hegseth is doing.”
“We’re going to have to see how this plays out, and how Trump either sticks to Hegseth, or decides maybe he cuts him loose,” she said.
Massie posted on X on Wednesday, “There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns.”
Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September. The Kentucky congressman argued that Hegseth violated “his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and violated “his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, especially with regard to the commission of war.”
His impeachment effort did not reach a vote before the House went into recess for the midterm elections, and Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed it as a “stunt.”
Democrats flipped the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections, with the unpopularity of the war in Iran and its impact on gas prices and affordability a key issue for voters.
Vice President JD Vance said in a lengthy X post on Wednesday, “The reason we lost is the war.”
In September, Vance said that he “wouldn’t call it a war.”
CNN’s reporting on the backlash against Hegseth aligns with an earlier CBS News report that Trump has been privately polling his advisers about Hegseth’s future after the midterms.
Asked on Wednesday afternoon whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, Trump told reporters, “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told CBS News in a statement that Trump has “full confidence” in Hegseth
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, “Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists. The Department of War has followed the law and our Secretary will continue to stand and fight every single day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America.”
He added, “We will continue to drive President Trump’s agenda at the Department of War — despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats — and Secretary Hegseth is 100 percent committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office.”
