Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he was not concerned about a Republican-led effort to impeach him and planned to address it at a Pentagon news conference. (Foto: Instagram)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday, Nov. 9, that he was not concerned about an effort to impeach him and was prepared to defend his leadership of the Pentagon. Asked whether Republicans would support his defense against impeachment articles, Hegseth replied, “We’re not worried about that.” He said he planned to address the matter at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and told reporters, “I hope you’ll all be there.”
The effort is led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who plans to reintroduce a resolution containing eight articles of impeachment. The allegations include starting and conducting the war against Iran without congressional authorization, possible violations of the laws of armed conflict and abuse of power. The proposal also challenges Hegseth’s role in military operations in the Caribbean and the Pentagon’s investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly, who has criticized the Trump administration. Hegseth denies the accusations and has called the effort political persecution.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has voiced support for impeaching Hegseth. A simple majority in the House would be needed to impeach him, while conviction and removal from office in the Senate would require a two-thirds vote. The prospect of an impeachment effort comes as Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress, giving the opposition greater ability to investigate members of the administration and potentially block the president’s proposals.
President Donald Trump separately questioned the integrity of the midterm elections in a post on Truth Social. He asked how polls could have differed so sharply from the results and cast doubt on early voting, writing, “Does anyone really believe this ‘election’ was honest? How could the polls have been so wrong?” Trump also alleged that large batches of early ballots made a Republican victory impossible, regardless of how many people voted. He offered no evidence to support the allegations and criticized the U.S. voting system, claiming that ballots matter more than voters.
The midterm elections were held Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Democrats won control of both the House and Senate. The shift could make it harder for Trump to advance his agenda over the next two years and increase congressional scrutiny of his administration beginning in January 2027. The House can approve impeachment charges, but the Senate conducts the trial and decides whether to convict. Voters also chose governors in 36 of the 50 states. At the time of the report, Democrats had won 22 governorships and Republicans 12; Democrats took five states previously governed by Republicans: Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Ohio and Nevada.
Trump also criticized the possibility of his own impeachment the previous week, saying it could “destroy” the Democratic Party. “I think it would destroy the Democratic Party. Impeachment for no reason. What? Because we have a successful country? Our country is more successful now than at any other time in history,” he said.
