One of President Donald Trump’s most prominent and most controversial Cabinet officials will almost certainly face an impeachment push if and when Democrats take over Congress, and according to a new piece from The Hill, he may already be eyeing a “parachute” to help escape his fate.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already been threatened with the prospect of being impeached, with anti-Trump Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introducing articles against him earlier this year. The eight articles against Hegseth largely stemmed from his role overseeing the Iran war.
With Democrats expected to sweep back into power in next week’s midterm elections, momentum is growing for impeachment proceedings against not just Trump, but also many of his top Cabinet officials, with Hegseth being near the top of the list for many. In a piece published Saturday morning, however, The Hill explained that an opening in the Senate could be his planned escape hatch to avoid being forced out of office by Democratic accountability.
As the piece laid out, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn is currently the GOP nominee for governor in Tennessee and is solidly leading in the polls against her competitors. If elected, she would be empowered to choose her own replacement in the Senate once she took office. Sources within the Pentagon now say that Hegseth is heavily considering a push for the position, with some calling the plan an “open secret.”
“Hegseth, a former Army National Guard Major, is interested in the open Tennessee Senate seat, which expires in early 2031, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill,” the report detailed. “A third source with knowledge of the conversations said Hegseth is campaigning behind the scenes for the post. A fourth who works closely with the Pentagon said his interest is an open secret.”
It continued: “Questions are swirling inside the Pentagon over how long Hegseth lasts after the midterms even if he’s not impeached, according to two sources regularly in the building. The defense secretary is widely seen as one of the Iran war’s biggest boosters in the administration. That could become a liability if Republicans are left looking for people to blame after what polls suggest could be a painful midterms for the party, driven in part by the economic consequences of the war.”
Hegseth, a National Guard veteran and former Fox News personality, previously ran for Senate in his home state of Minnesota in 2012, but failed to advance beyond the GOP primary. As of 2022, he owns a home outside Nashville in the town of Goodlettsville, Tennessee, setting himself up for a potential push to take that state’s vacant Senate seat.
“If Trump ends up looking for a new defense secretary, the administration is struggling to decide who it should be, this source said,” The Hill’s report added. “In the Senate, Democrats are quietly floating Hegseth’s ouster after the midterms, using the threat as leverage in defense spending talks with the White House, The Hill previously reported. The Democrats might have some Republican support.”