Senator-Elect Abdul El-Sayed Urges Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to Resign

Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed from Michigan publicly called for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to resign. In an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, El-Sayed questioned Hegseth’s competence and responsibility handling ongoing military operations.

El-Sayed directly addressed Hegseth, stating, Why are you still in your job? He criticized Hegseth for mishandling his responsibilities and suggested he should step down to simplify the current situation. El-Sayed expressed that Hegseth was engaged in a continuous cultural war, while his actual task should be managing lawful military operations.

The call for resignation comes after House Republicans, led by Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky, blocked an impeachment effort against Hegseth. The decision to refer the matter to the House Judiciary Committee resulted in a 211-204 vote, with 11 Democrats absent.

President Donald Trump supported the outcome in a Truth Social post, praising Hegseth’s work related to military recruitment and operations in countries like Venezuela and Iran.

During the CNN interview, Collins questioned El-Sayed about the Democratic absences which affected the impeachment vote. El-Sayed urged Democratic members to fulfill their responsibilities. He highlighted questions from constituents about inflation and linked those economic concerns to the military actions in Iran.

El-Sayed pointed out Hegseth’s significant role in affecting the affordability issues troubling the public under the current administration. Despite El-Sayed’s criticism, he maintained that he would evaluate any impeachment proceedings based on their individual merits.

Though the White House and the Department of War did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, Hegseth defended his actions during a news conference. He described the ongoing military operations in Iran, Venezuela, and Yemen as legal and dismissed the impeachment efforts as politically motivated.

Y. David Scharf, an attorney specializing in government strategies, commented on the situation. He suggested that the Democrats’ continued impeachment efforts could backfire and strengthen Hegseth instead. Scharf stressed the difficulty of removing Hegseth, emphasizing the need for a two-thirds Senate vote and the challenge in uniting Democratic and Republican votes.