Hegseth faces Nov. 9 House vote on removal

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in September. He plans to force a floor vote on Nov. 9, the day the House returns to session after the midterm elections. Massie accused Hegseth of abusing his office by ordering hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will move quickly if they win the majority. Speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, Jeffries stated, "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town." The Wall Street Journal reported that party leaders are drafting their own articles of impeachment to coincide with Massie's effort.

Other Democrats have been blunt in their critiques of the defense secretary. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" during a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman described him as an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office."

The push for impeachment coincides with scrutiny over Hegseth's recent foreign travel. Hegseth held a covert meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base on Monday. This took place days before Israel's election. Two sources confirmed the meeting to Walla on Tuesday.

Hegseth confirmed the visit occurred but did not elaborate on the conversation. A report from KAN News indicated that Iran was the main topic of discussion. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly attended the meeting.

The meeting was kept confidential. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior Israeli officials were not invited. Massie, an outspoken critic of the war on Iran and American aid to Israel, filed his articles in September to highlight what he sees as a lack of congressional oversight in military decisions.