The defense secretary has talked privately about running a campaign in Tennessee, sources told NBC News. The Pentagon said Hegseth’s “focus remains solely on serving under” Trump.

Can Defense Department employees run for political office? No, because the Defense Department prohibits civilian employees from running for political office under the Hatch Act, a

That would require him to step down as Pentagon chief, teeing up a major leadership change, albeit one that may be welcomed by some in the Department of Defense, where Hegseth’s purported paranoia and erratic moves have rankled White House officials and alienated staffers. It has all been enough that his allies apparently staged an intervention.