U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said he was not worried about a Republican-led effort to impeach him and vowed to defend his leadership of the Pentagon. (Foto: Instagram)
Pete Hegseth, the U.S. secretary of war, played down the risk of impeachment on Monday, Nov. 9, and said he was prepared to defend his leadership of the Pentagon. Asked whether Republicans would support his defense against the proposed articles of impeachment, Hegseth said, “We’re not worried about that.” He also said he planned to address the matter at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Nov. 10, inviting reporters to attend.
The effort to remove Hegseth is being 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 raises questions about Hegseth’s role in military operations in the Caribbean and the Pentagon’s investigation of Sen. Mark Kelly, who criticized the Trump administration. Hegseth rejects the allegations and has described the impeachment effort as political persecution.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has voiced support for impeaching Hegseth. A simple majority in the House of Representatives would be needed to impeach him, while a conviction and removal from office would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
The dispute comes as President Donald Trump has challenged the results of the midterm elections on Truth Social. He questioned how election polls could differ so sharply from the vote totals and raised suspicions about early voting. “Does anyone really believe this ‘election’ was honest? How could the polls have been so wrong?” Trump wrote. He also claimed that large batches of early votes made a Republican victory impossible, regardless of how many people voted. He provided no evidence to support the allegations, and criticized the U.S. voting system, saying ballot boxes mattered more than voters.
The midterm elections, held Tuesday, Nov. 3, gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress: the House and the Senate. The shift is expected to give the opposition party greater power to block administration proposals and investigate the Trump administration, while potentially making it harder for the president to pass his agenda over the next two years. The expanded oversight capacity is expected to begin in January 2027. In a separate statement last week, Trump criticized the prospect of his own impeachment, saying it could “destroy” the Democratic Party. He asked whether impeachment could be justified by having a successful country and claimed the nation was more successful than at any other time in its history.
Voters also chose governors in 36 of the 50 states. At the time the results were reported, Democrats had won 22 governorships and Republicans had won 12. Democratic victories included five states previously governed by Republicans: Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, and Nevada. The new congressional majority could open the way for investigations of administration officials; the House would decide whether to impeach, and the Senate would conduct any trial and determine whether to convict.
