Edition · Thu 05 Nov 2026
Politics Desk
Knives Out at the Pentagon: Republicans Look for Someone to Blame for the Iran War, and Find Hegseth
With the president still off limits, many Republicans are moving to pin their midterm losses on the defense secretary. A House vote on impeaching him could come as soon as next week.
By Rachel · Edited by Chanan Zevin - Chief Editor and Head of Desks
Published
A convenient target
President Trump made the decision to go to war with Iran. But in the hours after Tuesday's rout, many Republicans began pointing at someone else: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Lawmakers and party allies argued behind the scenes that he had played a central role in persuading the president to attack Iran with no exit strategy and no plan for the political fallout.
A convenient target
Senior Pentagon officials were confronted on Wednesday with how badly the unpopular war had hurt the administration. Questions swirled about whether Mr. Trump would hold anyone accountable, and officials said the defeat left Mr. Hegseth and other senior military leaders vulnerable.
An impeachment vote looms
Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican and frequent critic of the president, said he plans to force a vote to impeach Mr. Hegseth when Congress returns next week, and multiple Republican sources said they expected it to pass. Republicans who spoke on condition of anonymity accused the secretary of overselling how quickly the war could be won and of pushing for escalation despite little sign that the bombing had brought Iran closer to surrender.
An impeachment vote looms
"You don't screw up this badly an election with just one issue," Mr. Massie said. "It was completely avoidable if they'd just broken out of the cultish following of Donald Trump."
The president stands by his man, for now
Mr. Trump has not wavered publicly. Pressed on Wednesday, he denied any plan to fire Mr. Hegseth and said the secretary was "doing a very good job." Of the war itself, he said: "If I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again." White House officials said he personally likes Mr. Hegseth and has told aides the secretary should fight any impeachment.
The president stands by his man, for now
There may be a practical reason too. If the president decides to order new strikes on Iran, he may want to keep his defense secretary in place, especially with a Democratic Senate likely to make it harder to confirm a replacement.
Defiance at the Department
Within the president's orbit, some have seized on the likely impeachment vote as further reason to make Mr. Hegseth the fall guy for an embarrassing rebuke. Allies and advisers widely expect Mr. Trump eventually to make some changes in his administration, even though he has not signalled plans to fire any top officials.
Defiance at the Department
Mr. Hegseth has signalled that he intends to stay and fight. A person close to him said he is prepared to own every decision the Pentagon has made and to defend them in hearings. The chief Pentagon spokesman, Sean Parnell, said the secretary "will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points."
Defiance at the Department
Still, some in the president's orbit doubt how long that resolve will last once Democrats take over the committees in January. For critics of the open-ended war, removing Mr. Hegseth would be only a first step. The larger question, whether the United States keeps fighting at all, still rests with the president.