With Pete Hegseth's political future hanging in the balance, attention is turning to who could replace the Defense Secretary, should a bipartisan impeachment succeed or President Donald Trump chooses to remove him. Outgoing Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie, who has been fiercely critical of Hegseth, reintroduced articles of impeachment against the Defense Secretary on November 9 and said that he would force a House vote on alleged violations of the U.S. constitution. Hegseth called Massie a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" and described the impeachment articles as a "sham." Trump, meanwhile, vowed to stand by Hegseth, should he be impeached.
But the president reportedly fished for advice on whether Hegseth should stay on after the president and his top officials conceded the Iran war was at least partly responsible for the Democrats retaking both the House and the Senate last week. A total of 63 percent of voters believed the U.S. made the wrong decision in launching attacks on Iran, according to NBC exit polls published in the hours after the midterms. Nearly three quarters of Americans casting their ballot said the war was a crucial or major factor in how they chose to vote.
Hegseth is closely associated with the Iran war, and has been heavily criticized by Democrats for stripping away diversity initiatives at the Pentagon, blocking journalists from the department and for overseeing the administration's deadly strike campaign against suspected drug vessels. But he has also alienated some Republican colleagues, who expressed concern over internal friction at the Pentagon and questioned whether Hegseth’s dismissal of senior military officials has harmed readiness. Massie brought articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September, but House Speaker Mike Johnson quickly recessed the chamber without a vote on Massie's measure taking place—meaning Republicans did not have to pass public judgment on Hegseth's leadership of the Pentagon ahead of the midterms.
While the GOP controls Congress, impeachment is unlikely to pass through the chambers. "My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much gentler version of what's coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year," Massie said on Monday, urging Trump to fire Hegseth while Republicans still exert substantial influence in Congress. If Trump fired Hegseth in the "lame duck" Congress between the midterms and early January, he would still have a Republican majority in both Houses, meaning he may be able to quickly have a replacement confirmed by the Senate before the Democrats take control.
Driscoll was the highest-ranking civilian leader in the U.S. Army before he resigned on September 2, 2026. His exit came after months of speculation he had butted heads with Hegseth, and rumors he could be a potential successor to the Defense Secretary.
He is thought to have disagreed with Hegseth's remodeling of the U.S. military, and opposed the Pentagon chief firing a slew of senior military leaders. Hegseth said in September he would axe a fifth of all U.S. generals and admirals by the start of 2027 after previously condemning what he called "fat generals and admirals." A string of top military officials have left or been pushed out since Hegseth took over, including the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown, who is black, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as head of naval operations.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
