Trump loyalists target Pete Hegseth to shield president from election fallout
President Donald Trump's inner circle is reportedly scapegoating one man for the Republican Party's historic shellacking during the 2026 midterm elections: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Now the knives are out to remove him from power at the Pentagon.
"The House could vote as soon as next week to impeach the Pentagon’s top leader," reported CNN's Adam Cancryn, Sarah Ferris, Zachary Cohen and Alayna Treene on Wednesday. "Many Republican lawmakers and allies alarmed by Tuesday’s wipeout are moving swiftly to pin blame for the election results on Hegseth, arguing behind the scenes that he played a chief role in convincing Trump to attack Iran with no exit strategy — and no plan for managing the inevitable political fallout."
They added, "The knives-out campaign comes despite private acknowledgement from House and Senate GOP strategists that the party’s problems extended far beyond the war, triggering 2008-level losses that will take years to reverse. But for now, party leaders – and many in their ranks – remain unwilling to directly blame Trump for their woes."
The quartet of journalists offered more detail about exactly how Republicans are thinking as they turn on Hegseth.
"Hegseth, a vocal cheerleader for the war, oversold the US’ ability to win the conflict quickly and easily, multiple Republicans argued to CNN, describing on condition of anonymity why many in their party are now turning against the defense secretary," the Times reporters wrote. "They accused him of continuing to advocate for escalation despite little sign that continued bombing has brought Iran closer to surrender."
They added, "The conflict has since turned into a quagmire, they said, entangling the US in the Middle East indefinitely, worsening the affordability crisis, and triggering voters’ midterm revolt against the GOP. On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance issued an extraordinary statement that “the reason we lost is the war,” though he did not assign any specific blame for the conflict."
Even before the Democrats retook the Senate and House of Representatives by overwhelming margins, there were reports that Hegseth would be in trouble if they took over Congress.
"Two of the officials asserted that Hegseth could work across party lines, depending on how aggressive Democrats were in their investigations," reported The Washington Post's Noah Robertson and Dan Lamothe on Sunday. "Still, several others predicted that his critics, both in Congress and in the Pentagon, could feel more emboldened to oppose him if Democrats take power."
They added, "“Pete has made so many enemies — and uncontrollable enemies,” one person familiar said,"
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