Hegseth does not intend to leave his post as Pentagon chief amid possible impeachment

Hegseth remains at the Pentagon

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth does not intend to leave his post early, despite a possible vote on his impeachment. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal citing Pentagon representatives: Hegseth told his allies that he is not seeking the Senate seat of Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, who won the gubernatorial election and could have appointed him to her post. That seat, the outlet notes, will now go to the Democratic Party.

The impeachment and election context

Earlier, Hegseth expressed confidence that members of Congress would not be able to impeach him. According to CNN, he could become the “scapegoat” over the Republican Party's defeat in the congressional midterm elections: the House of Representatives may vote to impeach the Pentagon chief as early as next week. Among Republicans, there were voices saying that it was Hegseth who persuaded the US president to start the war in Iran without thinking through an exit strategy in advance or developing a plan to manage the political consequences. Against the backdrop of the Democrats' victory, it was also reported that Trump's “Golden Dome” project may be scrapped.

What is known and what remains unclear

All of the above information comes from American media outlets and is not backed by official decisions: the impeachment vote is still only planned, and Hegseth's position is known from the words of his circle. It is unknown whether the vote will take place within the stated timeframe or what formal grounds will be cited in the relevant document.