'He's Screwed:' House Republicans Are Reportedly Bracing for Enough GOP Defections To Impeach Pete Hegseth

House Republican leaders are braced for enough defections from their own ranks to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war when the measure comes to a vote this week.

Defeated Republicans have little left to lose and the Iran war has become the focus of their anger, Axios reported.

'He's Screwed': GOP Braced for Revolt

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky plans to force a vote on his resolution, which accuses Hegseth of defying Congress and illegally continuing the US war in Iran, Axios reported. Massie first introduced the articles on the House floor in September, PBS reported. The Pentagon denies any wrongdoing.

Some Republicans already expect the worst for the Pentagon chief. 'He's screwed,' one House Republican told Fox News Digital last week. 'If he introduces it, it'll pass,' a second said, referring to Massie bringing the measure back. A third was less sure: 'I really doubt [it].'

Democrats have piled on too. 'Why is Pete Hegseth still around?' House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries posted on X. On Sunday, Jeffries said he was a 'hard yes' on impeachment. With a razor-thin Republican majority, just a handful of GOP defections could be enough if Democrats vote together, Fox reported.

Massie intends to use the House's privileged-resolution procedure, under which a qualifying measure must be considered within two legislative days, Fox reported.

House Republican leaders avoided the measure before Election Day after Speaker Mike Johnson cancelled votes and sent lawmakers home early. Johnson has denied the move was linked to the impeachment vote, Axios reported.

Iran War Backlash Fuels Impeachment Push

The blame game is in full swing inside the House GOP. 'Iran, Iran, Iran... We should have never done the war before the midterms,' one Republican lawmaker told Axios.

Another said Hegseth's tone and rhetoric had been 'very damaging to our ability to get the facts out to the American people' on why the strikes on Iran were necessary.

Hegseth doesn't have 'a lot of love' on Capitol Hill, retiring Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told Fox News. Bacon told Axios he was undecided on the vote.

Hegseth is also on 'thin ice' inside the administration, with some officials pushing for his removal, Axios reported. Trump, however, has said he intends to 'keep him'.

Hegseth Hits Back at Critics

Hegseth called the impeachment push a 'sham' led by a 'disgruntled, defeated congressman' in a video posted on X on Thursday.

Massie fired back, urging Trump to replace Hegseth while Republicans still control the Senate. 'There is one contingency in which I won't reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns,' he wrote.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth 'will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists'. He added that the Secretary 'is 100 per cent committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump's term in office'.

Impeachment in the House would not remove Hegseth on its own. Conviction requires a two-thirds majority of senators present, a threshold Axios said would be difficult to reach even after Democrats take control of the chamber in January.