House Democrats Draft Impeachment Papers for Defense Secretary

House Democrats are preparing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a move they intend to trigger if their party secures a majority in the upcoming midterm elections. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the legislative groundwork is nearly complete, positioning the removal effort as a top priority for the next Congress.

The strategy relies on the outcome of the November 3 vote. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries outlined the plan at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month. He 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." This approach ties the timing of the formal proceedings directly to the partisan control of the chamber.

Criticism of Hegseth has intensified among Democratic lawmakers in recent weeks. Rep. Pramila Jayapal labeled the defense secretary "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" during a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman used stronger language, describing Hegseth as an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office." These public statements signal a unified push to build a case against the cabinet member before the election results are finalized.

Support for impeachment is not limited to the Democratic caucus. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed his own articles of impeachment in September. Massie, a vocal critic of the war in Iran, accused Hegseth of abusing his office by ordering hostilities against Iran without congressional approval. Massie has stated he will force a floor vote on the articles when the House returns to session on Nov. 9, the week after the elections.

The political maneuvering coincides with scrutiny over Hegseth's recent foreign travel. The defense secretary held a covert meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base on Monday. The visit took place days before Israel's general election. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attended the meeting, while IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior military officials were excluded for confidentiality reasons.

Reuters reported that Hegseth confirmed the visit but declined to provide details on the discussion. According to KAN News, the primary topic of the conversation was Iran. The timing of the meeting and the subsequent release of impeachment documents place the defense secretary at the center of legislative and diplomatic attention as the US approaches a key electoral moment.