Key facts
- Dembo said he did not come to Congress with the goal of impeachment but of driving down costs and fighting corruption.
- Dembo said accountability at the Pentagon has to be a priority of the 120th Congress.
- Massie's eight articles focused on Hegseth's leadership during the war with Iran and other Pentagon operations.
- Republicans benefited from 11 Democrats missing the vote; some cited conflicting engagements and traffic.
- Representative Ro Khanna has said Hegseth's impeachment is a top priority for Democrats.
- Senator Ted Cruz predicted Hegseth will resign, be fired or be impeached in the second half of Trump's term.
Representative-elect Zach Dembo, a Kentucky Democrat and former Navy judge advocate, said in an interview with MS NOW's Peter Alexander on November 11, 2026 that it would be premature to discuss impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "I did not come here with the goal of impeachment," Dembo said, adding that he came to drive down costs and fight corruption.
Dembo said he is interested in ensuring accountability at the Pentagon in the 120th Congress but that it is premature without having seen the articles. He cited his experience as a former Navy Judge Advocate and federal prosecutor at the Justice Department as reason he would not speculate without seeing the evidence first.
His remarks followed a House vote in which Republicans set aside eight impeachment articles against Hegseth filed by Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican. The articles focused on Hegseth's leadership during the war with Iran and accused him of abusing his powers in relation to several other Pentagon operations, including the seizure of the Venezuelan president and the extrajudicial killings of alleged drug smugglers in international waters.
Republicans benefited from 11 Democrats missing the vote. Some of those Democrats cited conflicting engagements and being stuck in traffic, drawing criticism from Democratic colleagues. Massie was ousted from his seat by a Trump-backed candidate.
Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, indicated at a press conference on Tuesday that Hegseth's impeachment is a top priority. Representative Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat, told NewsNation on Tuesday evening that she believed Hegseth's days "are numbered." Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, predicted Hegseth will either resign, be fired or be impeached in the second half of President Trump's term.