Hegseth Removal Vote Planned for Nov. 9

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives on Nov. 9, the day after the midterm elections return lawmakers to Washington. The timing is set by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who intends to force the floor action shortly after the House resumes session.

House Democrats are drafting their own case for removal and plan to move forward if they secure a majority in the upcoming elections. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated at a Pennsylvania rally that expelling Hegseth would be a priority for the new majority. "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.

Massie filed articles of impeachment in September, accusing Hegseth of abusing his office. The articles charge that the secretary executed an order for hostilities against Iran without congressional approval. Massie is a vocal critic of the war in Iran and American aid to Israel.

Other Democratic leaders have voiced similar concerns. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" in a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman described him as an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office."

The congressional pressure coincides with scrutiny of Hegseth's recent overseas activities. On Monday, Hegseth held a covert meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base. The meeting took place days before Israel's general election. Hegseth confirmed the visit occurred but declined to detail the conversation, according to Reuters.

Reports indicate that the main topic of the meeting was Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly attended the sit-down. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior Israeli officials were not invited to the meeting for confidentiality reasons.