Tuesday’s midterm results delivered a heavy blow to the GOP, and some Republican lawmakers and allies are now looking to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as the person who should carry much of the blame. They say he played a central role in persuading President Donald Trump to launch the Iran war without a clear exit plan or a strategy for the political consequences that followed.
The House could take up an impeachment vote against Hegseth as early as next week. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said he intends to force the vote once Congress returns. Multiple GOP sources told CNN they believe the measure has enough support to pass.
Party strategists have privately conceded that the GOP’s troubles ran well beyond the war and produced losses on a scale not seen since 2008. Even so, many Republican leaders have so far avoided directing public criticism at Trump himself.
Massie moves to force House vote on Hegseth impeachment
House Republicans who kept their seats show no sign of breaking with the president for the remainder of his term. That loyalty, however, does not extend to Hegseth. The defense secretary has clashed with lawmakers on Capitol Hill since taking office and has few close allies in the chamber.
Massie first introduced his impeachment proposal on September 16. Republicans speaking to CNN described Hegseth as a strong public backer of the Iran campaign who presented the conflict as one the United States could finish quickly and with relative ease. They said he continued to support further escalation even after bombing produced little visible movement toward Iranian surrender.
Those same Republicans described the war as having settled into a long-term entanglement that has kept US forces in the Middle East, added to domestic cost pressures, and contributed to the voter backlash that hit the party on Tuesday. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that “the reason we lost is the war,” though he stopped short of naming anyone responsible for starting or continuing it.
A former senior Pentagon official told CNN that “The pivot is starting” regarding both the war and Hegseth. The official said, “This has been primarily a Department of War-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy matter.”
White House officials said Trump has not withdrawn his support for the defense secretary and has continued to ask allies for their views on Hegseth’s performance. Trump has told aides that Hegseth should resist impeachment efforts and investigations into Pentagon decisions. One official recalled that two days earlier the president told Hegseth, “You’re my best guy. You’re the best guy I have.”
A source familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president may also want to retain Hegseth if further strikes on Iran are under consideration. Confirming a replacement would likely face obstacles in a Senate controlled by Democrats. When asked Wednesday about Hegseth’s standing, Trump said the defense secretary was “doing a very good job” and added of the decision to go to war, “If I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again.”
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis criticized the idea of Democratic-led probes, saying that “if Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people.” Some Republicans close to the administration nevertheless expect Trump may eventually look for someone to hold responsible for the midterm outcome, and they see Hegseth as the most immediate option.
One Republican close to the White House said, “If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it’s Pete Hegseth.” The same person added that “Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect – neither of which are acceptable – about timelines, goals and objectives since the beginning.” Allies within Trump’s circle have pointed to the expected impeachment proceedings as further reason Hegseth could become the public face of the war’s political costs.
Hegseth has indicated he expects to remain in the job and is ready to contest an impeachment effort. A person close to him said the secretary has told the White House he is prepared to take ownership of every Pentagon decision and to defend those choices in any hearings Democrats may open after they assume control in January.
He has also discussed possible future political plans, including a run for office in Tennessee, though people close to Trump do not view that as an immediate priority. Some House Republicans have privately expressed unease at the idea of Hegseth later serving in Congress.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth “will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists.”
Parnell added that “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.”
Advisers around Trump have questioned how long that stance will hold once congressional scrutiny intensifies. Several White House officials and political allies had already identified the Iran war as the administration’s largest midterm vulnerability before Tuesday’s results, and they link Hegseth closely to that vulnerability.
One administration official said, “I think he probably knows he’s dead but would like an exit sufficiently dramatic that it gives him a launching pad to run for POTUS.”
Massie has noted that Trump continues to defend the decision to keep fighting in Iran regardless of the political and economic costs at home. Massie said, “You don’t screw up this badly an election with just one issue.” He added, “It was completely avoidable if they’d just broken out of the cultish following of Donald Trump.”
Published: Nov 5, 2026 11:45 am