White House denies departures of Pit Hegset and Marco Rubio
Officials say reports that Hegset and Rubio will resign after Republican midterm defeats are false.
The White House has rejected media reports that U.S. Defense Secretary Pit Hegset and Secretary of State Marco Rubio plan to leave their posts after Republican losses in the recent midterm elections.
Administration calls the reports "fake news"
Officials in the Donald Trump administration described the stories as false and said there is no basis for claims that either Hegset or Rubio will step down. The statements were issued after questions surfaced about the future of the defence chief.
Hegset’s position has come under political pressure, in part because of his role in directing the war with Iran; some Republicans fault him for the party’s setbacks at the polls. Congressman Thomas Masi announced he will introduce an impeachment effort next week.
Hegset himself dismissed the accusations and said he will not resign. At the same time, Rubio denied speculation that he intends to leave his post to prepare a possible 2028 presidential bid, saying his plan "has always been to work for the Trump administration until the end of the term."
The White House response aims to close down talk of a cabinet shake-up even as intra-party tensions continue to surface in the aftermath of the elections.
Photo: press material from the event
