The political future of the US Secretary of Defense may be at stake if the Democrats win the House of Representatives

- The political future of US Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, may be at stake if the Democrats are able to win a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections that will be held next week. A Democratic victory in the House of Representatives would breathe new life into the efforts to remove Hegseth, which may convince more Republicans to join this trend when a vote is held in the immediate aftermath of the election.

If these efforts fail, the Democrats - if they control the House of Representatives in the new parliamentary session - intend to direct their focus towards the Minister of Defense, by pushing strongly for his removal. Republican Representative Thomas Massie pledged to push for a vote to remove Hegseth when the House of Representatives returns to session after the midterm elections in November, if the minister remains in office.

If Republicans lose their majority, Massey becomes more confident that the necessary votes from both parties will be available to complete the impeachment process, which only requires a simple majority. “The number of members of the ‘retirees’ bloc’ (MPs who will not return to the Assembly) will increase on election day,” Massi told Ofoq News.

“Those Republican representatives who will not return to their seats may find themselves pushed to vote their conscience, as they no longer have to fear about losing Trump or the Republican Party’s support in their races.” It is still unclear how the Republican leadership will deal with this issue after the election.

House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to end the House early in September, preventing a vote before the midterm elections. Johnson had made clear at the time that his plan aimed to prevent the vote, describing the efforts to isolate Hegseth as a “showy maneuver,” and stressing that the Defense Minister “performed an exceptional job.”

However, a source familiar with Republican trends told the Ofoq News network that the impeachment efforts are being taken seriously, and that there is a real possibility that some Republicans will vote in favor of it. Due to their increasing dissatisfaction with Hegseth and the Department of Defense (the Pentagon). Regardless of how the impeachment effort turns out in November, Democrats are certain to intensify their scrutiny of the secretary's performance during the new parliamentary session if they regain control of the House of Representatives, something they are increasingly confident will happen.

If the Democratic Party succeeds in seizing control of either the House of Representatives or the Senate, Democrats in the Armed Services Committees of both houses plan to conduct wide-ranging investigations into the American war with Iran, and lawmakers have agreed to make Hegseth their first target in these investigations. Lawmakers are seeking to hold Hegseth accountable regarding the decision to go to war, how it was managed, and the administration’s neglect - according to what they say - to consult Congress. Including that the administration has not yet submitted a detailed report showing the full cost of this war.

A Democratic aide told Ufoq News Network, saying that he (Hegseth) "represents the easiest target, given the hostility shown by senators and their staffs - from both Republicans and Democrats - towards him. Hegseth will be subject to investigation, and there will be parliamentary oversight; whether this leads to impeachment proceedings in the Senate depends on whether the Democrats regain control of the chamber."

President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Hegseth, describing efforts to impeach him as "terrible." He told reporters, referring to Democrats: "All they do is talk about impeaching everyone. But now they're talking about Pete Hegseth; he's doing a great job, and he's a great warrior."

For his part, Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said: “At the Department of Defense, we are focused exclusively on the principle of ‘making peace through strength,’ and ensuring that our warfighters have everything they need to succeed. Hegseth is not the only Trump administration official that Democrats want to subject to investigation if they win a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, as Democrats indicate that both Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will also be among the main targets of operations Oversight and accountability.