US President Donald Trump's nominee to be U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, attends the luncheon in the Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol on the inauguration day of Trump's second Presidential term in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2025.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has made some "uncontrollable enemies" with his political purges in the military, according to a new report — and this may ultimately incentivize President Donald Trump to let go of his controversial cabinet official.
"Two of the officials asserted that Hegseth could work across party lines, depending on how aggressive Democrats were in their investigations," reported The Washington Post's Noah Robertson and Dan Lamothe on Sunday. "Still, several others predicted that his critics, both in Congress and in the Pentagon, could feel more emboldened to oppose him if Democrats take power."
"“Pete has made so many enemies — and uncontrollable enemies,” one person familiar said," according to Robertson and Lamothe.
Earlier in the same article, they noted that the same congressional Republicans who have otherwise toed the line for Trump have found themselves instead drawing the line when it comes to Hegseth.
"With limited exception, Republican lawmakers have declined to stand in Hegseth’s way while he has purged dozens of senior military leaders he’s deemed disloyal, waged an eight-month war in Iran without the consent of Congress and pursued an unprecedented campaign against the illicit drug trade," the Post wrote.
It added, "Democrats would give Hegseth far less room for maneuver once the next Congress convenes in January. Already, some are threatening to investigate and try to remove him from office if they reclaim a majority."
The journalists continued, "Some officials in the administration and in Congress have mused recently that Hegseth may leave the Pentagon if Republicans lose heavily in the midterms — either to avoid congressional scrutiny or to pursue potential political ambitions. It’s possible, too, that the president could remove Hegseth if voters punish the GOP over the Iran war, though Trump has said he stands by him."
When Hegseth then announced he would livestream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood mass shooter Nidal Hasan, Republican lawmakers felt the need to make their voices heard.
The two also brought up how Hegseth has presidential ambitions for 2028, and he has indeed been accused of abusing his office by stumping for Republican candidates. Foreign policy experts also accuse him of not doing his job well because he has been so focused on politics.
“History will brand the U.S. failure to ensure Ukraine’s victory and prevent Taiwan’s fall as the time when America fell from greatness and her ‘cunning’ but miscalculating enemies plunged the world into a new global conflict,” Joseph Bosco, who served as China country director under the Secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006, wrote for The Hill in February.
