Pete Hegseth could be Donald Trump's fall guy after Republicans brutal midterms loss

Pete Hegseth could be Donald Trump's fall guy after Republicans brutal midterms loss Some Republicans say that the defence secretary oversold the US' ability to win the Iran war quickly and easily and that he has continued to advocate for escalation Donald Trump's war in Iran may have been a reason for the Republican Party's abysmal showing in the midterm elections this week, but the US President's job looks safe - for now. Instead, his close ally, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, appears poised to be the fall guy after a 'blue tsunami' at the polls. Mr Hegseth has been a major advocate for the war that tanked Republican support. His vocal support may be the nail in his coffin as head of the Pentagon. Democrats, who now control the House after a landslide victory, could vote as early as next week to impeach Mr Hegseth, CNN reports, while many Republican shift the blame Mr Hegseth for the election results. They say that he played a chief role in convincing Mr Trump to attack Iran with no exit strategy. According to some Republicans, the defence secretary oversold the US' ability to win the Iran war quickly and easily and he has continued to advocate for escalation despite little sign that continued bombing has brought Iran closer to surrender. House Republicans are expected to vote to directly repudiate the defence secretary in a matter of days. Anti-Trump GOP lawmaker Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky told CNN he plans to trigger a vote to impeach Mr Hegseth when Congress returns next week. Multiple Republican sources have reportedly said they expect it to pass, despite private acknowledgement from House and Senate GOP strategists that the party's problems extended far beyond the war, which has contributed to the affordability crisis. Republicans still seem unwilling to directly blame Mr Trump for the poor showing. The US president, however, maintains confidence in Mr Hegseth. It is understood that he personally likes Mr Hegseth and has told aides that he believes he should fight back against efforts to impeach him or launch investigations into his decision-making. "Just two days ago the president was in the room with him, telling him, 'You're my best guy. You're the best guy I have,'" one of the officials said. Mr Trump may also feel the need to keep Mr Hegseth around if he chooses to move forward with additional strikes against Iran, given that Democrats' new majority in the Senate likely to complicate any administration efforts to confirm new Cabinet appointees, CNN reports. Pressed Wednesday on Mr Hegseth's job status, Mr Trump defended the war effort and denied any plans to fire him. Mr Trump said he thought the defence secretary was "doing a very good job." "If I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again," Mr Trump said of his decision to go to war.