Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth faces renewed calls for impeachment as House Democrats discuss investigations they could pursue if they win control of the chamber in November, the Daily Mail reported Saturday.
The pressure follows an earlier effort by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), who filed six articles of impeachment in April alleging misconduct involving the Iran war, military information and congressional oversight.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told the Daily Mail that Hegseth should be impeached, accusing him of leading an unlawful Iran war, arbitrarily dismissing generals and ordering deadly Caribbean strikes.
“He should be impeached,” Khanna said.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO), who serves on committees overseeing intelligence and the military, also demanded Hegseth’s departure.
“Pete Hegseth has got to go,” Crow told the outlet. He said Democrats would use available tools to seek accountability but did not explicitly endorse impeachment.
Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI), a House Armed Services Committee member, called for domestic and international charges against Hegseth, accusing him of crimes against humanity. Those statements are allegations by lawmakers, not judicial findings.
Despite the criticism, Democrats have not agreed on a unified strategy for investigating President Donald Trump’s administration after the elections, according to the Daily Mail.
A Democratic House majority would give the party control over committees and their investigations, including efforts to compel testimony and obtain administration records. The election outcome remains undecided.
Ansari’s April filing accused Hegseth of participating in unauthorized military action against Iran, violating the laws of armed conflict, mishandling sensitive information, obstructing oversight, abusing power and damaging the military’s reputation.
Her office listed 13 Democratic cosponsors. Introducing articles does not itself constitute impeachment; the House must vote to approve them.
Among the controversies facing Hegseth is the Signal messaging episode, in which information about planned strikes in Yemen was shared in a group that mistakenly included a journalist.
His personnel decisions have also drawn scrutiny. In August 2025, the Pentagon removed Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse after a leaked assessment challenged administration claims about damage to Iranian nuclear facilities.
The Daily Mail reported that lawmakers could question Hegseth about whether U.S. ammunition supplies were sufficient for a prolonged conflict with Iran.
The Pentagon did not respond to the outlet’s request for comment on the latest impeachment discussion. The report separately included a statement from Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defending Hegseth’s leadership.
“Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way,” Wilson said.
Any attempt to remove Hegseth would require separate actions by both chambers. The House can approve articles of impeachment by a simple majority, while conviction requires two-thirds of senators present, according to the Senate’s explanation of the process.
If all 100 senators participated, 67 votes would be needed for conviction and removal. Winning the House alone would therefore leave Democrats short of the authority to remove a Cabinet secretary, as the Daily Mail reported.
Cabinet impeachments remain rare: the House impeached War Secretary William Belknap in 1876 and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024.
