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Ongoing story / Pete Hegseth

The push to remove Pete Hegseth, from Tillis's call to fire him to Massie's impeachment bid

Overview · reviewed November 12, 2026

Calls to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth grew in the fall of 2026. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who had cast the deciding vote to confirm him, called in September for President Donald Trump to fire him,[1][2] and on September 15 Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, filed eight articles of against Hegseth, accusing him chiefly of waging war on Iran without Congress's approval.[3] House leaders sent members home early without a vote, and Massie, who lost his own reelection bid earlier in the year, forced one after the midterm elections.[4][5][6] After Republicans lost the House, some turned against Hegseth, while Trump said he had "every intention" of keeping him.[7][8] On November 10 the House voted 211-204 to send the articles to committee, effectively ending the effort before the end of the year, and Democrats vowed to try again next year.[9][10]

Read the timeline

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House leaders sent members home early without a vote, and Massie, who lost his own reelection bid earlier in the year, forced one after the midterm elections.[4][5][6] After Republicans lost the House, some turned against Hegseth, while Trump said he had "every intention" of keeping him.[7][8] On November 10 the House voted 211-204 to send the articles to committee, effectively ending the effort before the end of the year, and Democrats vowed to try again next year.[9][10]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 2%, 13 of 537 tracked outlets (4 left, 3 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-17 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): 4%, 18 of 475 tracked outlets (5 left, 10 center, 3 right)Week of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): 13%, 62 of 480 tracked outlets (18 left, 25 center, 19 right)Week of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): 3%, 15 of 479 tracked outlets (3 left, 8 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): 1%, 3 of 479 tracked outlets (0 left, 1 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-10-26 (UTC): 2%, 11 of 473 tracked outlets (1 left, 9 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 11%, 53 of 471 tracked outlets (17 left, 21 center, 15 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): 28%, 134 of 474 tracked outlets (39 left, 57 center, 38 right), so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week. 10 more outlets off the scale (not rated, or outside the left-right graphs) also reported; they are not in this chart. See them.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (8 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 9, 2026 (so far)395738134 of 47428%
Nov 2, 202617211553 of 47111%
Oct 26, 202619111 of 4732%
Oct 19, 20260123 of 4791%
Oct 5, 202638415 of 4793%
Sep 14, 202618251962 of 48013%
Aug 31, 2026510318 of 4754%
Aug 3, 202643613 of 5372%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 10, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    Democrats apologize for absent lawmakers during Hegseth vote

Background

Rep. Thomas Massie read the articles, in a 34-page resolution, on the House floor, accusing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanors."[3] The charges centered on violations of the War Powers Resolution, the 1973 law meant to limit a president's power to commit US forces to hostilities without Congress, in the Iran war. They also covered military operations in Yemen, the Caribbean and Venezuela and alleged retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly.[3] Massie said he acted "because we've exhausted all the other legal avenues for reining in the War Department."[3] He filed it as a privileged resolution, which would force a House floor vote within two legislative days.[3] The US strikes on Iran, the strikes on alleged drug boats and Hegseth's case against Kelly are followed in their own arcs.

Read the full background (3 more paragraphs)

Tillis had turned on Hegseth first. On September 2 he blamed Hegseth's "inept management" for the exit of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and called for him to be fired,[1] and after Massie's filing he said Hegseth "needs to go, whether it's impeachment or the most expedient route."[11] In a memoir published in October, Tillis called his deciding vote to confirm Hegseth in January 2025 the "biggest regret of my career."[2]

Speaker Mike Johnson recessed the House a day early for the campaign, and the vote on Massie's resolution was pushed into the lame-duck session after the midterm elections.[4][5] In October, House Democrats rallied around removing Hegseth, with a vote on Massie's resolution expected when lawmakers return in mid-November.[6] CNN reported before the election that the push would gain momentum if Democrats won the House.[12] After the rout, Republicans quickly turned against Hegseth, The Guardian reported,[7] and The New Republic, citing CBS News, reported that Trump might replace him,[7] but Trump publicly dismissed the prospect.[13]

The House took up Massie's resolution on November 10. Hegseth, in his first Pentagon briefing since May, called the impeachment a "farce" and defended the operations in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela and against alleged drug smugglers: "I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow."[14] Vice President JD Vance denounced the push, saying "This isn't about Iran,"[15] and Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who said he had his own problems with Hegseth, said he would vote against the articles.[16] Republicans voted to refer the resolution to committee, 211-204. Massie was the only Republican on the losing side, and 11 Democrats missed the vote, more than the seven-vote margin, drawing criticism from colleagues including Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California.[10] Massie will not return in January, but Democrats, who will hold the House majority next year, said they were not done with Hegseth.[10]

Supporting stories (16)
  1. Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military
  2. Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new book
  3. Rep. Thomas Massie introduces impeachment against Pete Hegseth
  4. Speaker Johnson recesses the House early as Rep. Thomas Massie pushes Hegseth impeachment
  5. House races for exit, avoiding vote on Hegseth impeachment
  6. House Dems Target Hegseth for Impeachment if They Win Midterms
  7. Efforts to impeach Pete Hegseth blocked by House Republicans
  8. Trump says he has 'every intention' to keep Hegseth
  9. Pete Hegseth avoids impeachment vote despite growing GOP frustration
  10. Hegseth survives the battle. Democrats aren't done with the war
  11. GOP's Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go'
  12. The push to impeach Hegseth will gain momentum if Democrats win the House
  13. President Donald Trump dismisses prospect of replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid Iran war fallout, looming Democratic investigations
  14. Hegseth denounces ‘farce’ impeachment in first briefing since May
  15. Vance denounces Hegseth impeachment push: 'This isn't about Iran'
  16. Bacon 'torn' over whether to back Hegseth impeachment

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 27 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Hegseth survives the battle. Democrats aren't done with the warHeadline from KRQE Albuquerque · 31 outlets
  2. Hegseth escapes impeachment — for nowHeadline from Vox · 3 outlets
  3. How would impeaching Pentagon chief Hegseth work?Headline from Richmond Times-Dispatch · 1 outlet
  4. Top senator: Here’s why Dems won’t be able to get rid of HegsethHeadline from AL.com · 3 outlets
  5. Pete Hegseth could make US history over impeachment threatHeadline from Cleveland Plain Dealer · 3 outlets
  6. Hegseth denounces ‘farce’ impeachment in first briefing since MayHeadline from Military Times · 3 outlets
  7. Vance denounces Hegseth impeachment push: 'This isn't about Iran'Headline from The Hill · 8 outlets
  8. Bacon 'torn' over whether to back Hegseth impeachmentHeadline from The Hill · 2 outlets
  9. How does the impeachment process work for Cabinet secretaries?Headline from NBC10 Philadelphia · 6 outlets
  10. Hegseth facing scrutiny from both parties after midtermsHeadline from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette · 4 outlets
  11. Pete Hegseth just broke his silence as his future comes under siegeHeadline from NJ.com / Star-Ledger · 3 outlets
  12. Comer says 'there's a lot of questions about Hegseth' amid impeachment pushHeadline from The Hill · 3 outlets
  13. Trump responds with 7 words over Pete Hegseth’s fateHeadline from MLive · 3 outlets
  14. Trump says he has 'every intention' to keep HegsethHeadline from ABC 11 Raleigh · 5 outlets
  15. President Donald Trump dismisses prospect of replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid Iran war fallout, looming Democratic investigationsHeadline from 6ABC Philadelphia · 2 outlets
  16. Efforts to impeach Pete Hegseth blocked by House RepublicansHeadline from KTLA Los Angeles · 115 outlets
  17. Hegseth in ‘trouble’ as Trump faces music on Iran war, midtermsHeadline from The Hill · 6 outlets
  18. Pete Hegseth avoids impeachment vote despite growing GOP frustrationHeadline from Casper Star-Tribune · 83 outlets

October 2026

  1. The push to impeach Hegseth will gain momentum if Democrats win the HouseHeadline from KRDO · 11 outlets
  2. House Dems Target Hegseth for Impeachment if They Win MidtermsHeadline from American Greatness · 3 outlets
  3. Republican Sen. Tillis calls his vote for Hegseth the ‘biggest regret of my career’ in a new bookHeadline from WDIO Duluth · 15 outlets

September 2026

  1. GOP's Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go'Headline from Phl17 · 5 outlets
  2. House races for exit, avoiding vote on Hegseth impeachmentHeadline from The Hill · 2 outlets
  3. Speaker Johnson recesses the House early as Rep. Thomas Massie pushes Hegseth impeachmentHeadline from MyNorthwest · 33 outlets
  4. Rep. Thomas Massie introduces impeachment against Pete HegsethHeadline from UPI · 53 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →