Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) floated Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to take over the Department of War should the congressman’s articles of impeachment succeed in ousting War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, citing several issues with the war secretary’s leadership, particularly how he has dealt with foreign conflicts. Following his time on the House floor, Massie held a press conference and was asked about possible successors to Hegseth.
“I think Ron DeSantis would be great at it,” Massie said. “I don’t think he would run into the same problems that Hegseth has.”
Massie acknowledged that any name he offered would likely be removed from a prospective list, given President Donald Trump’s public disdain for the congressman. He also noted that DeSantis likely doesn’t want the job.
DeSantis was floated as an option to lead the Department of War at the start of Trump’s second term, but the president ultimately appointed Hegseth.
The term-limited governor served in the Navy as a judge advocate general, having commissioned while studying at Harvard University. During his tenure, DeSantis earned a Bronze Star during his deployment to Iraq from 2007 until 2008.
Massie cited DeSantis’s military career as his reason for throwing the governor’s name out.
“Ron DeSantis is a JAG, right? Like he understands the legality and constitutional boundaries between the legislative and the executive branch, so he’s been great at that,” Massie said. “But I’m only telling you his name because I think he probably doesn’t want it, and because I would have just jinxed him by saying his name.”
Following Republicans’ historic loss in the midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, DeSantis cited the Iran war as a leading factor in his party’s flop.
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A possible 2028 presidential candidate, DeSantis has gone on a media tour to discuss his grievances with the Republican Party and point out areas he characterizes as failures. Notably, Florida was the only state to emerge unscathed in the blue wave that swept the country.
While he has not flat-out denied that he is jockeying to lead the Pentagon, DeSantis has noted that any Cabinet appointments are unlikely to be confirmed in a Democrat-controlled Congress.