Army veteran who flipped NC seat says Hegseth should be impeached

A newly elected Democratic congressman, an Army veteran, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be impeached. Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda of North Carolina made the comment in an interview with CNN, The Hill reported Thursday ¹.

Asked directly whether Hegseth should face impeachment, Ojeda answered, "Absolutely." He said the Trump administration definitely needs to be investigated over its military operations abroad ¹.

On tapeUSA TODAY · Nov 4

▶0:39

A win in a district Democrats had not held since 1963

Ojeda beat Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party's House campaign arm. Ojeda won more than 51 percent of the vote to Hudson's nearly 49 percent in North Carolina's 9th District. The district had not elected a Democrat since 1963 ¹.

His comments come as Democrats have won control of both the House and the Senate. Top Republicans, including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have acknowledged that the unpopular Iran war contributed to the party's losses. The war has been linked to high inflation and rising gas prices ¹.

From Channel GOPObama mocks Trump's gold and Hegseth's mirrorBarack Obama · 187 plays · captioned, with the source named

A long-running critique of Hegseth

Ojeda has criticized Hegseth for months. In August, after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned, he accused Hegseth of undermining military leadership amid a string of high-profile departures ¹.

"I carry the names of 13 brothers I lost in war tattooed on my body," Ojeda wrote on X at the time. "I know exactly who pays the price when the people at the top screw up" ¹.

On tapeWCNC · Nov 5

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He is not the first Democrat to call for impeachment. In April, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth, with 13 Democratic co-sponsors ². Articles of impeachment are the formal charges that start the process in the House ².

Those articles accuse Hegseth of waging an unauthorized war against Iran and mishandling sensitive military information in a private Signal group chat. They also accuse him of obstructing congressional oversight. These are allegations. Hegseth has not been impeached or found to have broken the law ².

The Pentagon dismissed that effort. Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said: "This is just another charade" ².

What happens next

Ojeda said Democrats intend to act "as soon as we get there," meaning when the new Congress is seated ¹. The Hill's report does not say when a vote might occur or whether Democratic leaders back impeachment ¹.

There is also a political wrinkle. The Hill has reported that Hegseth may be eyeing an appointment to the Tennessee Senate seat Sen. Marsha Blackburn is leaving after winning the governor's race. Trump said Hegseth would be "very popular" as Tennessee's next senator ¹.

That matters because impeachment targets sitting officials. The pattern is that Democrats are signaling oversight of the war early, as they prepare to take control of Congress.

The Record

1. Apr 15, 2026Rep. Yassamin Ansari introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth, with 13 Democratic co-sponsors ².
2. Aug 1, 2026Ojeda wrote on X that the U.S. military has a 'Pete Hegseth problem' after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned ¹.
3. Nov 3, 2026Ojeda defeated Rep. Richard Hudson in North Carolina's 9th District, and Democrats won both chambers of Congress ¹.

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<h2>Army veteran who flipped NC seat says Hegseth should be impeached</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/army-veteran-who-flipped-nc-seat-says-hegseth-should-be-impeached">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 5, 2026.</em></p> <p>A newly elected Democratic congressman, an Army veteran, says Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should be impeached. Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda of North Carolina made the comment in an interview with CNN, The Hill reported Thursday .</p> <p>Asked directly whether Hegseth should face impeachment, Ojeda answered, &quot;Absolutely.&quot; He said the Trump administration definitely needs to be investigated over its military operations abroad .</p> <h2>A win in a district Democrats had not held since 1963</h2> <p>Ojeda beat Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party&#39;s House campaign arm. Ojeda won more than 51 percent of the vote to Hudson&#39;s nearly 49 percent in North Carolina&#39;s 9th District. The district had not elected a Democrat since 1963 .</p> <p>His comments come as Democrats have won control of both the House and the Senate. Top Republicans, including President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, have acknowledged that the unpopular Iran war contributed to the party&#39;s losses. The war has been linked to high inflation and rising gas prices .</p> <h2>A long-running critique of Hegseth</h2> <p>Ojeda has criticized Hegseth for months. In August, after Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned, he accused Hegseth of undermining military leadership amid a string of high-profile departures .</p> <p>&quot;I carry the names of 13 brothers I lost in war tattooed on my body,&quot; Ojeda wrote on X at the time. &quot;I know exactly who pays the price when the people at the top screw up&quot; .</p> <p>He is not the first Democrat to call for impeachment. In April, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth, with 13 Democratic co-sponsors . Articles of impeachment are the formal charges that start the process in the House .</p> <p>Those articles accuse Hegseth of waging an unauthorized war against Iran and mishandling sensitive military information in a private Signal group chat. They also accuse him of obstructing congressional oversight. These are allegations. Hegseth has not been impeached or found to have broken the law .</p> <p>The Pentagon dismissed that effort. Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said: &quot;This is just another charade&quot; .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Ojeda said Democrats intend to act &quot;as soon as we get there,&quot; meaning when the new Congress is seated . The Hill&#39;s report does not say when a vote might occur or whether Democratic leaders back impeachment .</p> <p>There is also a political wrinkle. The Hill has reported that Hegseth may be eyeing an appointment to the Tennessee Senate seat Sen. Marsha Blackburn is leaving after winning the governor&#39;s race. Trump said Hegseth would be &quot;very popular&quot; as Tennessee&#39;s next senator .</p> <p>That matters because impeachment targets sitting officials. The pattern is that Democrats are signaling oversight of the war early, as they prepare to take control of Congress.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/army-veteran-who-flipped-nc-seat-says-hegseth-should-be-impeached">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/army-veteran-who-flipped-nc-seat-says-hegseth-should-be-impeached.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Army veteran who won NC House seat: Hegseth 'absolutely' should be impeached” (2026-11-05). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6202404-ojeda-dem-calls-impeac
2. CBS News, “House Democrats file articles of impeachment against Hegseth” (2026-04-15). cbsnews.com/news/pete-hegseth-impeachment-articles-house-dem

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