Hegseth Impeachment Vote Planned for 11 Days After Midterms

The House intends to vote on removing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth within eleven days of the midterm election results.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment in September and stated he will force the vote when the chamber returns on November 9. This date falls the week after the November 3 elections. Massie accused the secretary of abusing his office by ordering hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats plan to act quickly if they win a majority. Speaking at a Pennsylvania rally in October, Jeffries told supporters, "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town." The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Democrats are preparing for this move contingent on their electoral performance.

Several House members have used strong language to describe the secretary's tenure. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" in a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman labeled him an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office."

The political pressure coincides with scrutiny of Hegseth's recent foreign engagements. The defense secretary held a covert meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base on Monday. Two sources confirmed the visit to Walla on Tuesday. The meeting occurred days before Israel's election.

Hegseth confirmed the visit took place but did not provide details about the conversation. KAN News reported that Iran was the main topic of discussion. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attended the sit-down. The IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, and other senior officials were not invited for confidentiality reasons.