House Democrats plan to target Pete Hegseth for impeachment, Dagbladet

House Democrats Prepare Impeachment Push Against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

House Democrats are preparing to target U.S. Pete Hegseth for impeachment if the party wins a majority in the November midterm elections, Dagbladet reported. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, outlined the plan at a campaign meeting in Pennsylvania earlier this month. “One of the first things we are going to do when we get the majority is chase Pete Hegseth out of town,” Jeffries told the crowd.

According to the Wall Street Journal, an attempt to impeach Hegseth is already being planned for next month while Republicans still control the House. If Democrats capture the majority in the early November midterms, a renewed effort will follow next year. Democratic lawmakers have increasingly criticized the defense minister in recent weeks, with Representative Pramila Jayapal calling Hegseth incompetent and corrupt on CNN, and Jared Huffman describing him as an unstable fanatic who should be removed from office.

The Pentagon has rejected the criticism. Defense Department spokesperson Kingsley Wilson stated that Hegseth has been a transformative leader and that the entire department stands united behind his vision for the military.

Lawmakers point to the so-called “Signalgate” case from March 2025 as a primary basis for impeachment. Sensitive information regarding a planned U.S. military strike against Houthi targets in Yemen was shared in a group chat that mistakenly included a journalist. Hegseth shared details about the timing and aircraft involved in the strike, and the Pentagon’s inspector general subsequently concluded that Hegseth violated department rules by using his private phone. Messages sent hours before the strikes could have put American service members at risk, according to the review.

Lawmakers argue that targeting a cabinet member presents fewer hurdles than moving against the president directly. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, noted that impeaching a cabinet official does not raise the same constitutional questions. “Nobody raises an eyebrow over talk of impeaching a cabinet member,” Raskin said. Raskin was one of the main actors during Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Republicans have also advanced impeachment efforts against the defense secretary. In September, Representative Thomas Massie attempted to force a vote on impeaching Hegseth in the House. Massie, a long-time critic of foreign military operations, saw his effort stalled when Speaker Mike Johnson sent representatives home, postponing the matter until after the midterms. Massie stated he will try again when Congress convenes on November 9, citing military actions against Iran. If the House passes articles of impeachment, the matter moves to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to convict and remove an official from office.

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