House Democrats Prepare Hegseth Impeachment Papers Pending Election Outcome

House Democrats are preparing impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, planning to initiate the process if their party secures a strong position in the upcoming midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated this plan at a Pennsylvania rally earlier in October, stating, "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town."

Democrats have criticized Hegseth's conduct publicly. Rep. Pramila Jayapal told CNN he is "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt," and Rep. Jared Huffman described him as an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office." The effort is not exclusive to Democrats: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed impeachment articles in September, accusing Hegseth of executing hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.

Massie plans to force an impeachment vote shortly after the House reconvenes on Nov. 9, the week following the elections. Meanwhile, Hegseth's international activity has drawn attention. On Monday, he met secretly with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base, days before Israel's election; two sources confirmed this meeting to Walla on Tuesday.

Reuters reported that Hegseth confirmed the visit occurred but did not discuss the conversation's details. A KAN News report stated the meeting primarily concerned Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attended the meeting, while IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior officials were excluded for confidentiality reasons.