Democrats ready Hegseth ouster papers as Massie sets Nov. 9 vote

House Democrats are assembling a case to remove Pete Hegseth from the Pentagon, and a Republican member has already set a date for the vote. Rep. Thomas Massie intends to force the House to take up impeachment on Nov. 9, the Monday after the midterm elections, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Massie filed articles of impeachment in September, accusing Hegseth of ordering hostilities against Iran without approval from Congress. He is a frequent critic of both the war in Iran and American aid to Israel. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month that removing Hegseth would come first: "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town."

Rep. Pramila Jayapal told CNN that Hegseth is "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt." Rep. Jared Huffman called him "an unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office." Whether Democrats hold the House majority is still being decided in the Nov. 3 elections.

Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Israel's Ovda air base on Oct. 20, three days before Israel's election. Two sources confirmed the meeting to Walla, and Hegseth confirmed the visit to Reuters but declined to detail the conversation. A KAN News report said the discussion centered on Iran. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attended. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior Israeli officials were not invited, for confidentiality reasons.