WHAT DO I KNOW?

Hegseth Makes Absurd Excuse After Being Cornered on Vance Election Claim

The Pentagon chief also sought to sidestep questions about Stephen Miller’s views on the war in Iran.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth insisted politics is “not really my thing” after being confronted about JD Vance’s explosive claim that the war with Iran cost Republicans the midterm elections.

Speaking at a press conference to push back against his potential impeachment, Hegseth offered a somewhat awkward response when asked what he thought of the vice president’s assessment, saying he respected Vance and would not engage in “finger-pointing.”

“Thankfully, politics is not really my thing. I do the Department of War and making sure we’re prepared and ready,” Hegseth added.

“A lot of people are going to look at the conflict and assess it. And the vice president has been a critical member of the team in every aspect of this, and we’re grateful for all the input he’s given me personally in our department.”

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The comments came exactly one week after the GOP suffered what Florida’s outgoing Republican governor Ron DeSantis described as an “extinction-level” wipeout at the midterms.

Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate, winning seats that used to be Republican strongholds, such as Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina.

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In the aftermath, Vance put out a lengthy post declaring that voters were angry with the administration over the Iran war, cost of living and inflation, and the current U.S. relationship with Israel, which receives billions of dollars in annual U.S. aid.

“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest,” Vance said.

“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”

The comments were contentious, partly because Vance has been prosecuting the war for the administration, despite previously being the standard bearer of MAGA’s anti-interventionist wing.

The ambitious vice president now faces an increasingly difficult balancing act as he potentially positions himself for 2028: acknowledging the political disaster of the war without appearing to directly challenge Trump.

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Hegseth is also reportedly entertaining his own 2028 ambitions, with allies encouraging him to consider a presidential run.

But the former Fox & Friends host has more immediate problems, with an impeachment vote expected in the House as soon as Wednesday.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. They accuse him of waging war against Iran without congressional approval, authorizing extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea, kidnapping a sovereign foreign leader in Venezuela, suppressing free speech, and conducting an unlawful war in Yemen.

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While Democrats are likely to vote with Massie, whether enough Republicans do is an open question.

“I’ve heard from several members they agree with some of the Articles of Impeachment but not all of them,” the GOP rebel acknowledged on Tuesday.

“If the motion to kill my resolution by referring it to committee fails, and we proceed to the Articles themselves, I’ll request a vote on each of the Articles separately.”

But at his press conference on Tuesday, Hegseth mounted a furious defense of his leadership, describing the attempt to impeach him for crimes and misdemeanors as a “political spectacle” and a “personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment.”

“We’ve seen this show before,” he said, invoking Donald Trump, who was watching in the White House.

“They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call. They impeached him again in his final week in office. Both times they failed. Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they’re trying a third time. This time against a member of his Cabinet.”

Hegseth also faced questions about reports that Stephen Miller had pitched himself for the job of White House chief of staff on the promise he would end the Iran war.

However, he declined to confirm the reported arrangement, telling reporters: “I talk to Stephen Miller about a lot of things, but he’s busy in his new role right now.”

As for the war more broadly, he stood by his record, saying he was merely acting on the president’s orders.

“I agree with what the president said when he said, ‘Hey, if I had to do this all over again, would we do it again? Absolutely,” Hegseth said.

“It was done for the right reasons to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”

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Farrah TomazinPolitical Correspondent

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