April 16, 2026 12:17 PM UTC

Enough Of Pete Hegseth Already

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• by: Colorado Pols

As CBS News reports, House Democrats yesterday introduced formal impeachment articles seeking the ouster of a third highly controversial and questionably competent Cabinet member, this time Defense WAR, B—h Secretary Pete Hegseth:

The resolution, led by Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, lists six impeachment articles:

Unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of U.S. service members;
Violations of the law of armed conflict and targeting of civilians;
Negligence and reckless handling of sensitive military information;
Obstruction of congressional oversight;
Abuse of power and politicization of the armed forces;
Conduct bringing disrepute upon the U.S. and its armed forces.

The impeachment push almost certainly won’t go anywhere in the House this year, since Republicans have a narrow majority. But its Democratic sponsors could renew their efforts if the party takes control of the chamber following the midterm elections.

But as Axios’ Andrew Solender reports, passing these articles of impeachment in Mike Johnson’s MAGA rubber-stump House may not be necessary:

Why it matters: The measure has virtually no chance of passing this Congress, but it is the latest sign that Democrats have coalesced around Hegseth as their new top target in Trump’s Cabinet.

Democrats previously pushed to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom were ousted by Trump in recent months. [Pols emphasis]

In her statement yesterday, Colorado’s co-sponsor of the impeachment articles against Hegseth Rep. Brittany Pettersen makes evident her desire for Hegseth to join Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi in early retirement by whatever legal means. If America’s Most Vulnerable Incumbent™ Rep. Gabe Evans was interested in keeping his seat he’d join her, but as one of Trump’s most devoted cheerleaders, there’s no chance of that:

“Pete Hegseth is wildly incompetent – he’s blindly carrying out Donald Trump’s unauthorized war in Iran that endangers the lives of our troops, our national security, and our standing in the world. His actions are reckless, violate our Constitution and international law, and have created a global crisis.

“As a mom, my heart breaks for the families and children caught in the middle of this conflict, including the hundreds of girls whose lives were stolen while they were simply trying to go to school. They have no clear strategy, no regard for human life, and no plan to get us out.

“From SignalGate to this reckless escalation, it is clear he is unfit to serve as Secretary of Defense. We have the most unqualified cabinet leading us through this crisis, and the American people have absolutely no confidence in Hegseth to do this job. It’s time for Pete Hegseth to resign – or we will remove him from office.” [Pols emphasis]

For the first year of Trump’s second term in office, there was a sense that his Cabinet was safe no matter how badly they bungled the job or stepped into scandal. Now that the dam has broken with the firing of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, none of them can be called safely employed. Hegseth’s gung-ho support for plunging the country into repeated foreign entanglements that run directly counter to Trump’s campaign promises make him a prime target for Trump’s scapegoating as the conflict in Iran drags on past Trump’s rosy predictions. Hegseth’s unlawful threats to target Iranian civilians and give no quarter to surrendering enemies back been backed up by Trump for now, but could just as easily become pretexts to get rid of Hegseth if Trump finds it necessary.

But the biggest problem could be that Hegseth is, no nice way to say this, an embarrassing idiot:

“They call it CSAR 25:17, which I think is meant to reflect Ezekiel 25:17,” Hegseth said.

“The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men,” Hegseth prayed. “Blessed is he who, in the name of camaraderie and duty, shepherd the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother. And you will know my call sign is Sandy One when I lay my vengeance upon thee, and amen.”

…Instead of the biblical “I am the Lord,” Hegseth said, “my call sign is Sandy One” — a line not found in scripture. The rest of Hegseth’s quote closely mirrors the fictionalized Ezekiel 25:17 Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Jules Winnfield, cited before killing a character in “Pulp Fiction.”

Trump chose Pete Hegseth to be his Defense Secretary because he liked Hegseth on Fox News. While Hegseth has been by all accounts steadfastly loyal to Trump, Hegseth’s equal parts arrogant and bumbling management of the Pentagon has left military leaders demoralized and oversight of former priorities like protecting civilians gutted.

While not themselves successful, the impeachment resolutions against Noem and Bondi presaged both of their ousters. Depending on how (or whether) Trump extricates himself from the debacle in Iran he was sold like a bill of goods, there’s every reason to believe that Hegseth will be the next member of Trump’s Cabinet to take the fall.

On that day, we expect very few will weep.