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The White House is denying media reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio could leave their posts as a result of personnel changes in the Trump administration after the disastrous midterm congressional elections for Republicans. And if Rubio’s position looks quite strong, then, as the American media write, Republicans may try to shift responsibility for the war in Iran—the main reason, in their opinion, for the defeat in these elections—to Hegseth.
Thomas Massie, one of the Republicans leaving Congress after the election, announced his intention to initiate a vote on Hegseth's impeachment as early as next week.
The head of the Pentagon responded to this statement by publishing a video message in which he called the attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings against him “fictitious.” In his opinion, behind it are “a disgruntled defeated congressman and his Democratic allies.”
“They attack us because we are efficient,” Hegseth said. - They won't succeed. We will not back down."
Marco Rubio also criticized statements that he allegedly intends to leave the post of Secretary of State ahead of the 2028 presidential campaign. In an interview with the New York Times, Rubio said it was “always the plan” to work on Trump’s team until the very end of his presidency.
“I love what I do,” he said. .
“It always makes me laugh when they say he’s going to leave his post. My answer to this is: which one?” - Rubio, who combines the post of Secretary of State with the post of Trump's national security adviser, joked.
However, Rubio did not answer NYT's question whether he is considering running for president in 2028.
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“I won’t talk about 2028 at all anymore,” he said. “I just won’t, that’s all.”
However, Rubio said he would support Vance if he decided to run for president.
The White House and State Department in statements called media speculation that Rubio could resign following Republican losses in this week's midterm elections "fake."
"We lost because of the war"
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The Pentagon chief's political future looks less certain. In the media, experts did not rule out that the Republicans would try to shift responsibility for the war in Iran to Hegseth.
Trump and Vance have already linked the Republican defeat in the midterm elections to the war with Iran that the United States has been waging with Israel for eight months. “We lost because of the war,” Vance wrote in X on Nov. 4.
The BBC's American partner, CBS News, citing sources, reported that Trump, in conversations with his advisers, discussed the question of whether Pete Hegseth should remain as Secretary of Defense. One source told CBS News that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, is being considered as a possible replacement for Hegseth.
However, according to the channel’s sources, Trump has not yet made a decision on Hegseth’s resignation.
In an interview with ABC News, Donald Trump said he was "firmly committed" to keeping him as defense secretary, although he had received "calls about" Hegseth.
On Wednesday, November 4, when asked by reporters whether he planned to replace Hegseth, Trump said: “No, I think he’s doing a great job.”
Later on Thursday, November 5, Trump, answering questions from reporters at the White House, said that "Pete Hegseth has done a fantastic job" as Secretary of Defense. Trump listed Hegseth's achievements, including the operation to arrest Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
As CBS News notes, even before the election, Democrats tried to initiate impeachment proceedings against Hegseth, and now that Democrats have a majority in both houses of Congress, the likelihood of new attempts to initiate impeachment is quite high.
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American media write that Hegseth may nominate his candidacy for the vacant Senate seat from Tennessee. Trump, speaking to reporters about the matter, said Hegseth “would be very popular in this position,” but the president said he knew nothing about it.
The Washington Post wrote that Trump is also likely considering the possibility of resigning Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain or Commander of Central Command (CENTCOM) Admiral Brad Cooper. Both played important roles in formulating the war strategy against Iran.
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