Pete Hegseth appears increasingly ready to take responsibility for Republican defeats in the midterms, despite Donald Trump’s virulent support for his Secretary of Defense, even calling him a champion of the war.
The war in Iran, which voters and Trump cited as a key reason for Republican midterm defeats, “was primarily a War Department-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy issue,” a former senior Pentagon official told CNN.
“If the president really wants someone to take responsibility, it’s Pete Hegseth,” added a Republican close to the White House in an interview with CNN. “Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect – which is not acceptable – about deadlines, goals and objectives from the beginning.”
On Wednesday, JD Vance publicly questioned whether the war in Iran was worth it and said it had cost Republicans control of Congress.
Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, has already filed eight impeachment charges against Hegseth and plans to force a House vote on impeachment soon.
Trump has repeatedly defended Hegseth and, speaking to reporters Wednesday about whether he would consider replacing Hegseth, he said, “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” »
Kingsley Wilson, the Pentagon press secretary, said, “The entire department is united behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue to work to put our warfighters and America first,” in a statement to USA Today on Wednesday.
Trump described Hegseth as a leading supporter of the unpopular conflict, saying on March 23: “Pete, I think you were the first to speak up, and you said, ‘Let’s do this, because you can’t let them have a nuclear weapon.’ » »
Hegseth is a polarizing figure in American politics and has made enemies even with his own Republican Party.
Thom Tillis, the Republican U.S. senator, told CBS News late Tuesday that Hegseth had “a reckoning” coming and that his strained relationship with lawmakers was undermining the Trump administration’s push for a $1.5 trillion defense spending package in Congress.
“I think after the election we need to consider whether or not he is the best person to bring these needs to Congress if they want to get something done before the end of this Congress, which is only 60 days away,” Tillis said as the midterm results came in.
Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth and his management of the Pentagon, and aides say that could include everything from his handling of the Iran war to his purges of top military officers, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He could also face scrutiny over his Ukraine policy and U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in Latin American waters, which some Democrats say could amount to war crimes.
Adam Smith, the Democratic Rep. who is expected to lead the House Armed Services Committee next year, has promised rigorous oversight on everything from the war in Iran to what he called the erosion of the “apolitical foundations of the armed forces.”
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