Hegseth impeachment: Republicans eye vote after election defeat

House Republicans could vote as soon as next week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The trigger was the party's crushing result on Tuesday: lawmakers accuse the Pentagon chief of pushing Donald Trump into a war with Iran without an exit strategy. CNN reports.

Hegseth becomes the scapegoat

According to CNN, many anxious Republicans are saying privately that Hegseth played the leading role in Trump's decision to attack Iran, with no plan for ending the conflict and no thought for the inevitable political fallout. They also accuse him of overestimating America's ability to win the war quickly and easily, and of continuing to push for escalation even though there is minimal sign that the bombing will bring Iran closer to surrender.

In the critics' telling, the conflict has become a quagmire that drags the U.S. into Middle Eastern affairs indefinitely, worsens weapons shortages and led to the midterm defeat.

Yet the campaign against the defense secretary ignores an admission by Republican strategists in the House and Senate: the party's problems, which cost it losses on a scale not seen since 2008, go far beyond the war. "Overcoming them will take years," CNN notes.

Party leaders are still not prepared to blame Trump openly. But that loyalty does not extend to Hegseth, who has made almost no friends on Capitol Hill since his appointment. According to several Republican sources who spoke to CNN, the impeachment vote is due to take place next week, and they expect it to pass.

What Trump himself thinks

CBS News reports that Trump himself appears ready to part ways with Hegseth. After the Republicans' defeat in the election, the president personally asked advisers by phone whether the defense secretary should stay in his post. According to CBS, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could lose their jobs along with him. Both played a key role in shaping the strategy for the war with Iran.

Still, Republican Party sources say Trump is not yet fully convinced that a resignation is necessary. On Wednesday, asked whether he was considering replacing the secretary, the president answered: "No, I think he's doing a very good job." Asked whether he would approve of Hegseth taking the Senate seat of Tennessee's Marsha Blackburn, who is leaving to become governor, Trump said: "I think he'd be very popular if he did that. But I haven't heard anything like that."

According to a CBS News source, Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis is being mentioned as Hegseth's possible successor. He could be confirmed by the Senate before the new senators take office and assume the post once his term as governor expires on January 5.

How impeaching a cabinet secretary works

Under Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, impeachment applies to the president, the vice president and all "civil officers of the United States." The defense secretary, who is appointed by the president, clearly falls under that definition.

The House has the sole power to initiate the process, and a simple majority is enough for approval. The Senate acts as the court: for the secretary to actually be removed, two-thirds of the senators present must vote to convict him.

Although impeachment is most often associated with presidents, in U.S. history it has also been used against cabinet members. In 1876, Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached on corruption charges, but the Senate did not convict him because Belknap had resigned shortly before the vote. In 2024, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas faced impeachment over border-protection policy: the House approved the charges, but the Senate dismissed them.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz