US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth
US Senator Ted Cruz has said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is likely to leave his post voluntarily, be dismissed by President Donald Trump or face impeachment in the House of Representatives as pressure over the impeachment effort continues. Or if that does not happen, I think it is extremely likely, if not certain, that the House will impeach him,” Cruz said. “Either Hegseth is going to step down, either he will resign voluntarily, or Trump will fire him.
During Tuesday’s news conference, Hegseth was asked whether he agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the Iran war was a major reason Republicans lost ground in the midterm elections.
Hegseth, however, has rejected the move, describing it as a “political spectacle”. At a news conference on Tuesday, he accused the Republican lawmaker seeking to force an impeachment vote of attempting to stage a “show trial”. “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said. Hegseth said he respected Vance but would not engage in assigning blame. “I respect JD greatly, and I’m certainly not going to engage in any finger-pointing,” he said. He said others would examine the war and its consequences, while his focus remained on ensuring the department was prepared and ready.
Hegseth maintained that his responsibility was to oversee the Pentagon rather than assess the political impact of the conflict.