Hegseth faces House removal vote planned for day after midterms

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September, accusing him of executing an order for hostilities against Iran without congressional approval. Massie intends to force a House vote on the matter on November 9, the day after the midterm elections and shortly after the chamber returns to session.

The move is part of a broader bipartisan push to remove the defense secretary. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries signaled Democratic support for the effort while speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month. "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town," Jeffries said, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Friday.

Other Democratic lawmakers have used more direct language to describe Hegseth's performance. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called him "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" during a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman labeled him an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office."

The political momentum for impeachment coincides with recent diplomatic activity that has drawn scrutiny. Hegseth held a covert meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Ovda air base on Monday. The meeting took place days before Israel's election, a fact confirmed by two sources to the news outlet Walla on Tuesday.

Hegseth acknowledged the visit took place but did not provide details about the conversation. According to a report by KAN News, the primary topic of the discussion was Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly attended the meeting. The IDF Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, and other senior Israeli officials were not invited, a decision made for confidentiality reasons.

The timing of the impeachment push places the defense secretary's removal in direct contention with the upcoming general elections. The process could accelerate if Democrats emerge from the November vote with a stronger position in the House.