Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is facing growing scrutiny from normally loyal Republican allies over the Iran conflict, while a possible fallback plan if President Trump dismisses him has become increasingly uncertain.
As Trump weighs a Cabinet shake-up following the Democrats’ strong election performance, Hegseth has emerged as one potential casualty.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, acknowledged the concerns during an interview with NewsNation on Friday morning, saying, “There’s a lot of questions about Hegseth.”
Comer said the decision ultimately rests with Trump. However, with Republican lawmakers expected to launch impeachment proceedings against Hegseth as early as next week, support for the Pentagon chief appears to be weakening among some of his GOP allies.
“We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran,” Comer said. “No one’s happy about Iran, and I think Republican voters are more upset about what’s going on in Iran than Democratic voters.”
Two sources close to Hegseth told Our News Outlet that he could be a strong contender for Senator Marsha Blackburn’s soon-to-be vacant Tennessee seat, given that he has lived in the state since 2022.
Even so, people in Hegseth’s orbit remain confident that he can weather the controversy and stay on as Pentagon chief, according to the sources.
A Pentagon official told Our News Outlet that Hegseth intends to remain in office “until the end of the president’s term.”
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has been rumored as a possible choice for a U.S. Senate seat in Tennessee, a potentially comfortable landing spot amid speculation that Trump could remove him over his handling of the Iran war and Tuesday’s election losses
Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, the state’s governor-elect, is expected to have the authority to choose her own Senate successor after taking office as governor
Trump has said Hegseth could also be a strong candidate for governor of Tennessee
The source cited a defiant video Hegseth posted on social media this week, in which he assured viewers that he had no plans to leave.
Blackburn’s team, meanwhile, says the governor-elect is focused on preparing for her new role and is not weighing Hegseth for the Senate appointment.
One source involved in the transition said Blackburn’s team has received calls from elected officials opposing a potential Hegseth nomination, describing the reaction as a “big backlash.”
“Hegseth is not being considered,” the source said, dismissing reports of his possible appointment as “spin.”
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Neither Blackburn’s Senate office nor her transition team said whether she had spoken with Hegseth about the potential nomination or met with him to discuss the seat.
Without the Senate position as a possible landing spot, Hegseth’s next move would be unclear if Trump ultimately removed him.
Trump nevertheless defended his Pentagon chief this week, saying Hegseth was “doing a very good job” and would be “very popular” if appointed to the Tennessee Senate seat.
“But I haven’t heard that at all,” Trump added, appearing to dismiss the reports.
Sources told Our News Outlet that Blackburn is considering naming either Congressman Tim Burchett or Knoxville Mayor Glenn Jacobs to the Senate seat early next year
Blackburn speaks with former Knox County Mayor and former professional wrestler Glenn Jacobs, right, at a campaign rally on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Hendersonville
Hegseth attended a University of Tennessee football game in October with Burchett visible over his shoulder
The 46-year-old secretary has also accumulated a number of critics on Capitol Hill, including within his own party.
Outgoing North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican who retired after Trump attempted to remove him, prompting the seat to turn blue on Tuesday, sharply criticized Hegseth for “wasting taxpayer dollars on campaign-style videos.”
“This is about you: The incompetence you’ve displayed, the bad advice you’ve given to the president, and your shameful and embarrassing episodes, from firing our top generals to texting war plans to reporters,” Tillis wrote in a social media post directed at Hegseth.
Tillis called Hegseth’s latest video a wasteful political advertisement and issued a veiled warning: “Kristi Noem learned that the hard way.”
Hegseth is expected to face a Republican-led impeachment effort that could begin as soon as Congress returns from recess next week.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and Trump critic, has threatened to introduce articles of impeachment unless Hegseth resigns.
Reports suggest several GOP lawmakers may support the effort after the Democrats’ decisive victory, which cost many remaining House Republicans their positions.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell convened a meeting Wednesday with political appointees from the Department of War to discuss an “aggressive defense of Secretary Hegseth and the president’s agenda,” a department source told Our News Outlet.
