House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer has declined to back Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying there are 'a lot of questions' about him, as the House prepares to vote on an impeachment resolution next week.
The Washington Examiner reported that frustrations over high prices due to the prolonged Iran war led to Republican losses, putting increased attention on Hegseth and his role in the conflict. Trump and Vance have both blamed the Iran war for the losses. The losses allowed Democrats full control of the House and Senate.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican who filed the impeachment articles before the election, told Politico he will trigger his resolution to impeach early next week. He warned Trump on X to replace Hegseth before a Democratic-controlled Congress forms in January, while he can still 'get the replacements confirmed in the Senate'.
Trump told ABC News he had received 'calls about' Hegseth but had 'every intention' of keeping him. Later, Trump told reporters Hegseth had done 'a fantastic job'. The Washington Post reported that Trump might be considering ousting General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Centcom chief Admiral Brad Cooper.
Trump later listed what he saw as Hegseth's achievements, including the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and the Iran war, now in its ninth month. In his video statement, Hegseth listed ways the department had fulfilled Trump's America First agenda. 'It's all about the politics of personal destruction,' he said.
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied reports he is considering leaving his post ahead of a 2028 presidential run. The White House called the speculation 'fake news'. Rubio told the New York Times that staying through the end of Trump's term 'has always been my plan', adding, 'I love the work I'm doing'.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Hegseth's future directly tests President Trump's political strength following the Republican Party's significant midterm losses.
- The bipartisan push to remove Hegseth signals that the conduct and cost of the Iran war will be a defining fight when the new Democratic-controlled Congress convenes in January.
Background
Hegseth has served as Defence Secretary during the Iran war, now in its ninth month. The conflict has been widely blamed for high prices and the Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections, which gave Democrats full control of the House and Senate. An impeachment resolution filed before the election is now scheduled for a House vote early next week.
Key Perspectives
- Donald Trump: says Hegseth has done a 'fantastic job' and that he has 'every intention' of keeping him.
- Rep. Thomas Massie: plans to trigger an impeachment vote next week and has urged Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats take over.
- James Comer: says there are 'a lot of questions' about Hegseth, declining to offer support.
- Pete Hegseth: denounces the impeachment effort as 'sham articles of impeachment' pushed by a 'disgruntled, defeated congressman' and his Democrat allies.
- Marco Rubio: denies considering leaving his post, saying staying to the end of Trump's term 'has always been my plan'.
- JD Vance: says Republicans lost big because of the Iran war.
What to Watch
- The House vote on Massie's impeachment resolution, expected early next week.
- Whether Trump decides to replace Hegseth, or military leaders General Dan Caine and Admiral Brad Cooper, before the new Congress convenes in January.
- Hegseth's speculated interest in running for an open Tennessee Senate seat.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 10 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe headline says House Republican chairman James Comer has declined to back Hegseth as an impeachment vote looms.Washington Examiner: “House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) declined to back Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as an impeachment vote against the secretary looms”
- SupportedComer said there were “a lot of questions” about Hegseth.Washington Examiner: “saying there are “a lot of questions” about him.”
- SupportedThe Iran war put increased attention on Hegseth and his role in the conflict.Washington Examiner: “Frustrations over high prices due to the prolonged war in Iran led to staggering Republican losses in Tuesday’s elections, putting increased attention on Hegseth and his role in the conflict.”
- Partly supportedThe House is preparing to vote on an impeachment resolution next week.Washington Examiner: “The House must vote next week on impeachment articles filed by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) prior to the midterm elections.”
- SupportedFrustrations over high prices due to the prolonged Iran war led to Republican losses and increased attention on Hegseth’s role.Washington Examiner: “Frustrations over high prices due to the prolonged war in Iran led to staggering Republican losses in Tuesday’s elections, putting increased attention on Hegseth and his role in the conflict.”
- SupportedTrump and Vance both blamed the Iran war for Republican losses.BBC News: “Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have both blamed the Iran war for Republican losses”
- SupportedThe Republican losses allowed Democrats full control of the House and Senate.BBC News: “Republican losses that allowed Democrats full control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate.”
- SupportedMassie told Politico he would trigger his impeachment resolution early the following week.BBC News: “He told news site Politico that he will trigger his resolution to impeach the defence secretary early next week.”
- SupportedMassie warned Trump on X to replace Hegseth before a Democratic-controlled Congress forms in January, while replacements could still be confirmed in the Senate.BBC News: “on X, he warned that the president should replace Hegseth before a new Democratic-controlled Congress forms in January. “He should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate,” Massie wrote on X.”
- SupportedThe Washington Post reported that Trump might be considering ousting Dan Caine or Brad Cooper.BBC News: “The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Trump might be, however, considering ousting General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Centcom chief Admiral Brad Cooper.”
- SupportedHegseth said, “It's all about the politics of personal destruction.”BBC News: ““Their policies don't work. So their obsession with political theatre disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents. It's all about the politics of personal destruction.””
- Partly supportedRubio told the New York Times that staying through the end of Trump's term “has always been my plan.”BBC News: “Working for Trump until the end of his term has “always been my plan,” Rubio told The New York Times in an interview.”
