Daniel Wolfram
Republicans are looking for scapegoats and fall guys after being embarrassed on Tuesday. Look no further than the ultra-unpopular defense secretary.
Tuesday’s election was devastating for the Republican Party. The party has not seen results this bad since 1974 after Richard Nixon had to resign in disgrace over the Watergate scandal.
So naturally, the GOP is looking for someone to blame. The obvious one would be the former real estate mogul-turned-president. But while he is officially now a “super-lame duck” president, he still holds a lot of sway and influence over the party.
So the Republicans in Congress have turned their attention toward the guy commanding the military in the Pentagon.
Looking for a scapegoat
Republicans are looking to isolate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. While President Donald Trump ordered the strikes that launched the open-ended war in Iran, lawmakers are afraid to challenge the president directly. Instead, they want Hegseth to take the fall.
The drama will unfold sooner rather than later. Outgoing Representative Thomas Massie told CNN that he plans to force a House vote to impeach Hegseth next week. CNN also spoke with party insiders who expect the measure to pass.
Behind closed doors, politicians in the GOP agree that the defense secretary oversold a quick victory only to leave American forces vulnerable with no plan. Likewise, the war spiked inflation and prices unnecessarily.
Even Trump and Hegseth’s closest allies are breaking ranks. Vice President JD Vance conceded in a statement that “the reason we lost is the war.”
Trump won’t budge
Despite the growing rebellion on Capitol Hill, Trump has shown no desire to fire his defense chief. White House officials told CNN that the president defended him in private, telling aides the embattled Pentagon leader is “doing a very good job.” Trump reiterated that as well yesterday while touring the construction of the White House ballroom.
Inside the Pentagon, Hegseth has signaled that he will fight back against any push to remove him. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that Hegseth “will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists.”
While Hegseth is certain that he is safe because he has the backing of the president, he has also burned a lot of bridges in the Pentagon and within the Republican Party because of his religious crusade and unwillingness to cooperate.
But Massie also pointed out to CNN that if the GOP really wants to learn from Tuesday, then the blame starts at the top. “You don’t screw up this badly an election with just one issue,” Massie said. “It was completely avoidable if they’d just broken out of the cultish following of Donald Trump.”
In the end, someone has to pay for Tuesday’s humiliation, and Hegseth is an easy target.
