Hegseth Calls Impeachment 'Sham' While Trump Quietly Shops for His Replacement

A Hard Yes From the Next Speaker

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries didn't hedge, which for a Washington leadership figure is practically an act of violence. "I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," he told ABC's This Week, according to the Guardian and NBC News. "The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe."

Then he closed with four words that will look great on a protest sign: "Pete Hegseth has got to go."

Jeffries is poised to become majority leader, and the BBC notes he's the favorite to be the next House Speaker after Democrats took Congress in what it described as a midterm landslide. When the guy who controls the calendar says he's in, the calendar gets very interesting.

The Republican Holding the Pen

The resolution belongs to Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican and longtime Trump critic who is on his way out of Congress. He plans to reintroduce it as soon as Monday, with eight articles of impeachment. One of them accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 over America's role in the war with Iran.

This isn't Massie's first try. He filed a version in September, but Republican leaders canceled the planned votes and sent everyone home early, pushing the whole mess until after the election. That's one way to handle an accountability problem: schedule it for after the voters weigh in, then be shocked by what the voters say.

Massie has framed his resolution as the polite version. He posted last week that it's "a much gentler version of what's coming when Dem's control Congress," adding that Democrats would "have hearings & trials." A Republican is warning the defense secretary that the opposition party will be meaner than he is. Sleep tight, Pete.

Hegseth's Defense: Everyone Is Mean to Me

Hegseth answered in a social media video on Thursday, because of course he did. He called Massie "a disgruntled, defeated congressman" who, "along with all his Democrat allies," had dropped "sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice."

"It's all about the politics of personal destruction," he said. "Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me."

Notice what's missing. There's no rebuttal on the War Powers claim. There's no explanation of the timelines or the goals. There's just the strategy every Trump official reaches for the moment the facts get uncomfortable: declare yourself a martyr and hope nobody asks about the war.

Trump Says Great Job, Allies Say Otherwise

Here's where it gets fun. Asked Wednesday whether he's thinking about replacing Hegseth, Trump said, "No, I think he's doing a very good job."

NBC News reported last week that Trump has told allies he was considering replacing Hegseth. So the president is telling reporters one thing and telling his friends another, a pattern that will surprise absolutely no one who has ever met him.

The knives are out inside the building, too. One Republican close to the White House told CNN, "Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect, neither of which are acceptable, about timelines, goals and objectives since the beginning." Another line from the same quote is even better: "If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it's Pete Hegseth." A former senior Pentagon official put it plainly, saying the war "has been primarily a Department of War-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy matter."

The Iran War Is the Whole Ballgame

Both Trump and voters pointed to the Iran war as a major factor in the Republican wipeout. Jeffries ties it directly to prices, saying the war has "skyrocketed prices on the American people." People can forgive a lot, but they can't forgive a war that makes the gas pump and the grocery store more expensive.

NBC News also notes the impeachment push tests how far lawmakers are willing to go to oust the Pentagon's top official, given how low voters have rated the administration's handling of the war. And Iran isn't done. NBC's subscriber headlines mention Iran preparing for the war to resume and Trump being briefed on a narrow window for a new military campaign. So the secretary facing impeachment over the war may be about to get a sequel.

Democrats Have a Longer List Than Eight Articles

Impeachment may only be the opening act. The Guardian reports Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth's handling of the Pentagon, and aides say that could cover everything from the Iran war to his purges of top military officers, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff.

There's also his Ukraine policy, and the US military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters, which some Democrats say could amount to war crimes. That's a lot of subpoena-able material for one man who spent his pre-Pentagon career on cable television.

The caucus hasn't locked in yet. Jeffries said members will "have that conversation" Tuesday morning when everyone returns to Washington for the first time since the election, though he expects "incredibly strong support." A vote could follow within days. Jeffries has also said House Democrats aren't currently focused on impeaching Trump himself, per the BBC. Hegseth, apparently, is the appetizer.