The Iran War seems to have emerged as a main reason why the Republicans had such an historically bad night in the midterm elections on Tuesday, one that cost them both Houses of Congress and dismantled the coalition that brought Donald Trump Back into the White House two years earlier.
Vice President JD Vance said as much in a lengthy statement posted to social media the day after Election Day.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth hosts a teleconference with NFL players Aaron Jones and Elijah Higgins during their visit to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing in Kuwait from the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., April 2, 2025. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Alexander Kubitza)
Trump launched the war, but He isn’t someone who likes to hold himself accountable for failures, or even admit them at all. So it’s likely they’ll find another scapegoat, and Pete Hegseth’s name has come up often.
According to The Guardian, the “Secretary of War” is “increasingly looking like he may take the fall” for the midterm wipeout. Various Republicans have blamed Hegseth for the Republican losses.
“If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it’s Pete Hegseth,” an unnamed “Republican close to the White House” told CNN in an interview this week, as The Guardian reported.
That Republican said the reason to blame Hegseth has more to do with the war’s unpopularity.
“Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect – neither of which is acceptable – about timelines, goals, and objectives since the beginning,” the person close to the White House told the network.
Some Republicans were willing to go on the record with their criticisms of the “Secretary of War.”
“I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he’s the best person to bring those needs to Congress,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said this week, in speaking to CBS News about the Pentagon’s proposed defense spending package.
Tillis, who did not run for re-election after breaking with Trump, saw Democrat and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper win his seat on Tuesday.
The White House View
Trump has not thrown Hegseth under the bus, at least as of yet.
“No, I think he’s doing a very good job,” the president told reporters Wednesday, when asked if he was considering replacing the Pentagon chief.
Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon’s press secretary, told the press that the Department of Defense remains “unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”
However, indications suggest Hegseth could be on the outs.
Impeachment?
According to Fox News, Hegseth faces a “bipartisan impeachment threat.” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who is leaving Congress after Trump backed his primary challenger, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this year and plans to force a vote on them during the lame-duck session.
But it isn’t just one rogue anti-Trump Republican. In fact, “several House Republicans” told Fox News that they think articles of impeachment against the Defense Secretary could pass as soon as next week.
“If he introduces it, it’ll pass,” one Republican told Fox of Massie’s impeachment push.
But even if that fails, Democrats could take up the anti-Hegseth mantle once they take over Congress in January.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who will likely serve as Speaker of the House starting in January, said on social media this week, “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?”
“I’ve said a long, long time ago that he’s not qualified for the job, and he should be removed, and I think we’re going to pursue that,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), who is likely to take over the gavel of the House Armed Services Committee in the new Congress, said in a televised interview earlier this fall.
Cabinet secretaries are rarely impeached; when Alejandro Mayorkas, the Biden administration’s Secretary of Homeland Security, was impeached in early 2024, he was the first impeached secretary since Secretary of War William W. Belknap in 1876. Neither Mayorkas nor Belknap was convicted by the Senate or removed from office.
Hegseth could also resign or pursue something.
Some reporting last month said Hegseth might be angling to leave the Pentagon and seek appointment to the open Senate seat in Tennessee, after Sen. Marsha Blackburn was elected governor of the state.
Trump said this week that Hegseth would be “very popular” if he became a senator, although he affirmed that he wants Hegseth to stay in the cabinet.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
