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Hegseth impeachment push

News · Heat 7.8 / 10 · 4 shows · 8m airtime

On October 23, Democrats vowed to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if they retake the House in the November 2026 midterms. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, intends to force a vote during the lame-duck session. Republicans have shown little appetite, and a two-thirds Senate supermajority to convict is seen as very unlikely. Democrats see Hegseth, the public face of an unpopular war, as an easier target than a third Trump impeachment. Some Democrats on the Hill now argue that impeaching Hegseth would make Trump fight to keep him.

How 4 podcasts covered it

  1. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-23 (5:43 to 7:12)
    Lays out the plan to impeach Hegseth
    Lays out the Democratic plan to impeach Hegseth if they win the House: Raskin's lame-duck vote, the thin Republican appetite he found calling colleagues, and the unlikely two-thirds Senate bar.
    New angle: Raskin intends to force a Hegseth impeachment vote in the lame-duck session.
  2. The Fox News Rundown, 2026-10-24 (10:12 to 12:34)
    Speculates on Jeffries and a Hegseth impeachment
    Pergram and Halpern talk through the expectations gap facing Democrats if they take Congress, with Pergram suggesting Jeffries may use investigations and a Hegseth impeachment to placate a base promised Medicare for all and ICE abolition. Speculation and framing, no new development.
  3. The Rest Is Politics: US, 2026-10-30 (19:10 to 21:52)
    Adds Democrats' case against impeaching Hegseth
    Takes a listener question on whether Democrats would impeach Hegseth after a midterm win. Adds the on-the-record counterargument from Democrats on the Hill: impeaching him would make Trump fight to keep him, so staying hands-off may be the faster route out.
    New angle: Some Democrats on the Hill think impeaching Hegseth would make Trump fight to keep him.
  4. The Dan Bongino Show, 2026-10-30 (8:48 to 10:23)
    Predicts Democrats would impeach Trump and Hegseth
    Bongino predicts Democrats will impeach both Trump and Hegseth if they win, framing it as punishment for Hegseth doing his job right, and plays a clip of Trump praising Hegseth and calling the impeachment talk terrible. Prediction and reaction, no new development.
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