Republicans push to impeach Hegseth after election defeat over Iran war

Republicans, alarmed by their midterm election defeat, are blaming U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for the unpopular war with Iran and may vote on his impeachment next week. Hegseth is accused of convincing President Donald Trump to attack Iran without an exit strategy. Representative Thomas Massie will force a vote on impeachment, which Republicans expect to pass. They claim Hegseth exaggerated the U.S. ability to win quickly and continued advocating escalation despite no signs of Iranian surrender, turning the conflict into a quagmire that hurt the party. Trump has defended Hegseth, calling him his "best man" and denying plans to fire him. Hegseth has vowed to resist, while some allies see the impeachment as a way to make him a scapegoat for the war's political consequences.