Democrats eye Blanche impeachment as Hegseth vote looms next week

Democrats are preparing to ramp up congressional scrutiny of the Trump administration after sweeping both chambers in the midterm elections, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already facing an impeachment push and Attorney General Todd Blanche emerging as another potential target ¹.

Hegseth could face an impeachment vote as soon as next week, with Republican Representative Thomas Massie planning to force a House vote on articles of impeachment when lawmakers return to Washington on Monday ¹².

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Massie, a Kentucky Republican and frequent Trump critic, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on September 15. They accuse the defense secretary of violating the Constitution and federal law, including by conducting military operations in Iran without congressional authorization and continuing hostilities in violation of the War Powers Resolution ¹.

Massie reiterated his plans Thursday, suggesting President Donald Trump should replace Hegseth "while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate" ¹.

From Channel GOPJamie Raskin: Trump was on the ballotJamie Raskin · 157 plays · captioned, with the source named

Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what's coming when Dem's control Congress. They'll have hearings & trials

Hegseth has pushed back against the impeachment effort, calling the articles a "sham" and comparing them to the two impeachment proceedings against Trump ¹.

Didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me. You can rest assured of that.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth was "100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump's term in office" and would not be deterred by what he described as partisan investigations ¹.

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Trump defended Hegseth on Thursday, telling reporters the defense secretary had done a "fantastic job" when asked about possible staffing changes ¹.

Blanche emerges as next target

Representative Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that Blanche could also face impeachment hearings ¹.

Raskin accused the Justice Department under Blanche of pursuing Trump's political opponents while failing to adequately address other matters, including the Jeffrey Epstein files ¹.

"The Department of Justice has clearly become a Department of Injustice — an instrument of revenge, political revenge for the president," he said ¹.

At least two other House Democrats have raised the prospect of impeaching Blanche. Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, said he believes the attorney general's conduct warrants impeachment and removal from office ¹³.

"I personally believe that the offenses of Todd Blanche demand that he be impeached and convicted and removed from office," Johnson said on SiriusXM's The Dan Abrams Show. "I think his efforts to undermine the rule of law can't go unaddressed" ¹³.

Representative Deborah Ross, a North Carolina Democrat, also voiced support for impeachment, while saying lawmakers should begin with Hegseth. Asked whether she supported impeaching Blanche, Ross said "100%" before adding: "I think we should start with Hegseth" ¹³.

No formal impeachment resolution against Blanche has been announced ¹.

That matters because the House has impeached only two Cabinet officials in history — former President Joe Biden's homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, in a partisan vote, and William Belknap, the secretary of war in the 1870s. No Cabinet members have ever been convicted by the Senate ².

Massie would need several Republicans to join all Democrats in supporting the impeachment measure for it to succeed ². He has said there is one contingency in which he won't reintroduce the articles: "Hegseth resigns" ².

The Record

1. Sep 15, 2026Rep. Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ¹.
2. Nov 3, 2026Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections ³.
3. Nov 5, 2026Reps. Hank Johnson and Deborah Ross voiced support for impeaching Attorney General Todd Blanche ¹³.
4. Nov 9, 2026Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Washington, when Massie plans to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth ².

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<h2>Democrats eye Blanche impeachment as Hegseth vote looms next week</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-eye-blanche-impeachment-as-hegseth-vote-looms-next-week">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 5, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrats are preparing to ramp up congressional scrutiny of the Trump administration after sweeping both chambers in the midterm elections, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already facing an impeachment push and Attorney General Todd Blanche emerging as another potential target .</p> <p>Hegseth could face an impeachment vote as soon as next week, with Republican Representative Thomas Massie planning to force a House vote on articles of impeachment when lawmakers return to Washington on Monday .</p> <p>Massie, a Kentucky Republican and frequent Trump critic, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on September 15. They accuse the defense secretary of violating the Constitution and federal law, including by conducting military operations in Iran without congressional authorization and continuing hostilities in violation of the War Powers Resolution .</p> <p>Massie reiterated his plans Thursday, suggesting President Donald Trump should replace Hegseth &quot;while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>Also, my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what&#39;s coming when Dem&#39;s control Congress. They&#39;ll have hearings &amp; trials</p><p>&mdash; Thomas Massie, Representative, R-Ky.</p></blockquote> <p>Hegseth has pushed back against the impeachment effort, calling the articles a &quot;sham&quot; and comparing them to the two impeachment proceedings against Trump .</p> <blockquote><p>Didn&#39;t work against President Trump, and it won&#39;t work with me. You can rest assured of that.</p><p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary</p></blockquote> <p>Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth was &quot;100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trump&#39;s term in office&quot; and would not be deterred by what he described as partisan investigations .</p> <p>Trump defended Hegseth on Thursday, telling reporters the defense secretary had done a &quot;fantastic job&quot; when asked about possible staffing changes .</p> <h2>Blanche emerges as next target</h2> <p>Representative Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that Blanche could also face impeachment hearings .</p> <p>Raskin accused the Justice Department under Blanche of pursuing Trump&#39;s political opponents while failing to adequately address other matters, including the Jeffrey Epstein files .</p> <p>&quot;The Department of Justice has clearly become a Department of Injustice — an instrument of revenge, political revenge for the president,&quot; he said .</p> <p>At least two other House Democrats have raised the prospect of impeaching Blanche. Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, said he believes the attorney general&#39;s conduct warrants impeachment and removal from office .</p> <p>&quot;I personally believe that the offenses of Todd Blanche demand that he be impeached and convicted and removed from office,&quot; Johnson said on SiriusXM&#39;s The Dan Abrams Show. &quot;I think his efforts to undermine the rule of law can&#39;t go unaddressed&quot; .</p> <p>Representative Deborah Ross, a North Carolina Democrat, also voiced support for impeachment, while saying lawmakers should begin with Hegseth. Asked whether she supported impeaching Blanche, Ross said &quot;100%&quot; before adding: &quot;I think we should start with Hegseth&quot; .</p> <p>No formal impeachment resolution against Blanche has been announced .</p> <p>That matters because the House has impeached only two Cabinet officials in history — former President Joe Biden&#39;s homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, in a partisan vote, and William Belknap, the secretary of war in the 1870s. No Cabinet members have ever been convicted by the Senate .</p> <p>Massie would need several Republicans to join all Democrats in supporting the impeachment measure for it to succeed . He has said there is one contingency in which he won&#39;t reintroduce the articles: &quot;Hegseth resigns&quot; .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrats-eye-blanche-impeachment-as-hegseth-vote-looms-next-week">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/democrats-eye-blanche-impeachment-as-hegseth-vote-looms-next-week.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Pete Hegseth First, Todd Blanche Next? Democrats Eye Impeachment Push” (2026-11-06). newsweek.com/pete-hegseth-first-todd-blanche-next-democrats-
2. NBC News, “Pete Hegseth strikes defiant tone in face of impeachment threat” (2026-11-06). nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/secretary-pete-heg
3. The Hill, “2 House Democrats float idea of Blanche impeachment” (2026-11-06). thehill.com/homenews/house/6203031-house-democrats-push-blan

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