House Republican leaders are bracing for enough GOP defections to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth when the measure comes to a vote this week, according to a new Axios report.
Axios reported Sunday that Republicans who lost their seats in Tuesday’s “election-night bloodbath” have “little left to lose” and could be more willing to back impeaching Hegseth, whose support has eroded since the start of the Iran war.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is planning to force a vote on his resolution to impeach Hegseth for allegedly defying Congress and illegally continuing the war in Iran. GOP leaders managed to avoid the measure before Election Day, after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) canceled votes and sent lawmakers home early. Johnson has denied the move was related to the impeachment vote.
According to Axios, the political calculus “has now shifted dramatically,” with the GOP’s crushing defeat fueling anger inside the conference and increasing the number of Republicans willing to back impeachment.
Many Republicans blame the Iran war for their losses, and Hegseth has become the face of it on Capitol Hill.
“Iran, Iran, Iran … We should have never done the war before the midterms,” one GOP lawmaker told the outlet.
Another Republican lawmaker said Hegseth’s tone and rhetoric have been “very damaging to our ability to get the facts out to the American people on why the strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, and the additional military actions, were necessary.”
Retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who told Fox News that Hegseth doesn’t have “a lot of love” on Capitol Hill, told Axios he’s undecided on this week’s vote.
The Pentagon is defiant. Chief spokesman Sean Parnell told Axios that Hegseth “will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists.”
“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% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump’s term in office,” Parnell said.
Hegseth has called the impeachment effort a “sham” led by a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.” Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, has said he won’t reintroduce the articles if Hegseth resigns.
Trump said Wednesday he intends to “keep” Hegseth. But Axios previously reported that the defense secretary is on “thin ice” with the administration, with some officials pushing for his ouster.
Even if the House impeaches Hegseth, removing him would take a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a high bar even after Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
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