It’s been nearly two months since House Republican leaders made a surprise announcement and cut short the chamber’s pre-election session. There was no official explanation, but on Capitol Hill, the reason appeared obvious: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky was poised to force a vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and there was reason to believe it would pass.

That would have been deeply embarrassing to the beleaguered Pentagon chief, the White House and the party itself with seven weeks remaining in the election cycle — so GOP leaders sent members home, kicking the can down the road.

Now, they’ve caught up to the can, and the resolution is poised to reach the House floor next week, potentially as early as Monday.

In theory, the secretary shouldn’t have too much to worry about. For now, both chambers of Congress are under the control of Republican majorities, and so long as GOP members stick with Donald Trump’s handpicked defense secretary, the impeachment resolution is unlikely to pass.

In practice, however, an open secret is rapidly coming into the light: A whole lot of congressional Republicans don’t like Hegseth, either. MS NOW spoke to some GOP members who predicted the resolution will pass. From the article:

“I think the numbers are there,” one House Republican told MS NOW, adding that they would be “inclined” to support the effort. “I think he’s been incompetent. It’s been all about bravado and not about strategy.” […]

Another House Republican said there are plenty of Republicans who would support Hegseth’s impeachment — including those who lost re-election this week and those who are annoyed by his testimony before Congressional committees.

Those members spoke after being granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic, although some Republicans have been willing to speak on the record. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, who isn’t exactly known for his moderation, told NewsNation on Friday morning that he can say “with a high level of confidence that there’s a lot of questions about Hegseth” among his colleagues, especially on his handling of the failed U.S. war with Iran.

What’s more, let’s not forget that we’ve been building toward this point for months. In mid-September, The Wall Street Journal reported that the secretary’s standing on Capitol Hill was “slipping” and that “several” congressional Republicans were growing frustrated with him. There have been related reports specifically focused on the Senate, where outgoing GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has already called for Hegseth’s ouster.

The former Fox News host’s future, in other words, is increasingly precarious. Even if next week’s developments on the House floor were somehow to fall short, there’s no reason to assume this would be the only impeachment vote Hegseth would face. On the contrary, the incoming Democratic majority has been unsubtle about its intentions to try to force him from office sooner rather than later.

Hegseth, no doubt aware of the circumstances and seriousness of the threat, appears to have launched a public relations campaign of sorts, which appears to be rooted in publishing panicky things to social media. (An apparently coordinated campaign of sorts seems to have manifested among other Pentagon leaders loyal to the secretary.)

For most of American history, only one Cabinet secretary has ever been impeached. In 1876, the House impeached Secretary of War William Belknap — after he had left office — over alleged bribes. (He was later acquitted by senators.)

Nearly three years ago, Belknap got a little company: House Republicans impeached then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, despite having no evidence he had done anything to merit impeachment. (The Senate dismissed that effort and didn’t bother with a trial.)

Will Hegseth join this tiny club? I wouldn’t bet against it.

This post updates our related earlier coverage.

The post Why Pete Hegseth seems awfully nervous about losing an upcoming impeachment vote appeared first on MS NOW.

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From MS Now.