Republicans are sharpening their knives and taking aim at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after their midterm shellacking, with growing anger over the Iran war turning him into a target inside his own party. And now even one of Donald Trump’s most powerful allies in Congress is publicly questioning whether Hegseth should remain at the Pentagon.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee, threw Hegseth under the bus Friday, saying there are growing questions among Republicans about the defense secretary and the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.
Asked whether he wants to see a new face running the Pentagon, Comer stopped short of demanding Hegseth’s removal, saying that decision ultimately belongs to Trump. But his next comments made it clear that Hegseth is facing serious trouble inside his own party.
“There’s a lot of questions about Hegseth,” Comer told NewsNation. “We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran. No one’s happy about Iran.”
Comer went further, suggesting that Republican voters are actually more upset about the Iran conflict than Democrats are.
That’s a pretty remarkable admission from a Republican committee chairman, particularly after the GOP’s disastrous midterm performance. Comer said he has heard directly from Republican voters who are angry about the war, which has dragged on for more than eight months, and increasingly frustrated with rising gas prices.
“They are mad that we’re in this situation in Iran,” Comer said. “They’re mad over gas prices, and a lot of them stayed home.”
In other words, Comer believes the GOP didn’t necessarily lose those voters to Democrats. Many simply stopped showing up.
And Hegseth is becoming one of the faces of an increasingly unpopular war.
The pressure is reportedly reaching the White House, too. According to The Hill, Trump has been asking allies about Hegseth’s standing, with one source describing the defense secretary as being in “a lot of trouble.”
Publicly, Trump continues to defend him, insisting he is doing a “very good job” and saying he has no plans to replace him. But behind the scenes, questions about Hegseth’s future appear to be growing.
A senior Pentagon official told The Hill that replacing Hegseth during the lame-duck session would be difficult, especially with Senate confirmation hurdles and Democrats preparing to take control of the House. The official also claimed Hegseth isn’t particularly worried about being replaced.
But the political pressure isn’t coming exclusively from the White House or Republican voters. Hegseth is also facing an impeachment push from inside his own party.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a vocal critic of the Iran war, says he plans to reintroduce articles of impeachment against the defense secretary next week. Massie has indicated he would abandon the effort if Hegseth resigns.
Hegseth responded Thursday by dismissing the impeachment effort as political theater from a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.” He compared it to the two impeachment efforts against Trump and accused his opponents of trying to destroy political rivals.
“Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me,” Hegseth declared.
But the problem for Hegseth is that the criticism is no longer coming just from Democrats. Republicans are openly questioning the administration’s Iran strategy, frustrated voters are staying home, and members of his own party are preparing to put his job on the line.
After a midterm shellacking, the last thing Trump needs is another high-profile Republican infighting battle. Yet Hegseth is increasingly finding himself at the center of one.
