Trump, Hegseth and other Cabinet members could face impeachment
Trump, Hegseth and other Cabinet members could face impeachment
Jeff Arnold Fri, November 6, 2026 at 1:00 PM UTC
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(NewsNation) — As Democrats prepare to take full control of Congress after Tuesday’s decisive midterm victory, three members of President Donald Trump’s cabinet — and possibly Trump himself — could become the renewed targets of impeachment investigations.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. and Education Secretary Linda McMahon could face intense impeachment scrutiny once the new Congress is sworn in. All three were subjects of impeachment investigations or inquiries prior to the midterm elections.
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Trump said Tuesday night that he does not plan to make changes to his cabinet in the wake of the Democrats taking control of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.
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Trump should anticipate being impeached for a third time when Congress resumes, as Democrats begin strategizing for having control of the Senate and House, NewsNation political editor Chris Stirewalt said this week.
The Democratically controlled House impeached Trump twice in his first term — for his alleged coercion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and for the Jan. 6, 2021, riots that disrupted Congress’ certification of election results after Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
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Trump was acquitted in both cases in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority of 67 votes is needed to remove a president.
“I think the president knows for sure that with a Democratically controlled Senate, his impeachment is going to make a colonoscopy look like a day at the beach,” Stirewalt said Tuesday after midterm election results indicated a rout of the GOP.
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“It’s going to be real, real tough, and it’s going to go on for months, and it won’t stop. And his sons are going to be in there, and his son-in-law, his family finances.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, the longtime New York lawmaker, said Wednesday that cleaning up government corruption was one task Democrats plan to tackle once they take control.
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“No American should have to make trade-offs at the supermarket while Trump is making inside trades on the stock market,” Schumer told reporters. “Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court and entangle him in legislative razor wire.”
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, the Maryland Democrat who led the second impeachment effort against Trump, has argued that the president has “undoubtedly committed impeachable offenses.” Raskin has cited the Iran war, unauthorized spending and White House construction projects as examples, USA Today reported.
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Hegseth has come under fire as the ongoing war in Iran has continued. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war as the main driver behind Republicans losing Tuesday’s midterms.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president said so himself last night,” Vance wrote in a lengthy social media post Wednesday. “If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.”
U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, D-Kentucky, wrote on X Wednesday that he plans to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth unless the Department of Defense Secretary and former Fox News host and network contributor resigns.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a roundtable event with President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Massie previously introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on several issues, including his handling of the Iran war. The House never voted on the articles after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson adjourned the House before Tuesday’s midterms.
In a video posted to social media Thursday, Hegseth called Massie's plan "sham articles of impeachment" and accused Democrats of attacking him and other administration officials "because we are effective."
"It's not going to work," Hegseth said in the video. "We will not back down."
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He added: "This is not about me, but, of course, the other side, in case you've noticed, they're obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice. You see, their policies don't work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents."
Trump has consistently defended Hegseth, including Wednesday, when reporters asked the president if he is considering firing Hegseth. “I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said.
In a statement issued to several media outlets, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that the secretary is “100% committed” to staying on the job through the end of Trump’s term.
“Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists," Parnell said in the statement.
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Kennedy has also faced articles of impeachment by U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich. Stevens introduced impeachment articles against the HHS Secretary in December 2025.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as President Donald Trump listens during a campaign rally, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
The Michigan lawmaker, who recently came under fire for breaking with her party and endorsing Republican Mike Rogers in his bid for a U.S. Senate seat against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, cited “dangerous actions” by Kennedy.
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She accused Kennedy of “turning his back on science, on public health and on the American people (by) spreading conspiracies and lies, driving up costs and putting lives at risk.”
Health Department spokesperson Andrew Nixon has accused Stevens of playing political games.
"Secretary Kennedy remains focused on improving Americans’ health and lowering costs, not on partisan theatrics designed to elevate standing in a failing, third-rate Senate bid,” Nixon told USA Today.
Linda McMahon 'betrayed students', Democrat claims
McMahon had articles of impeachment filed against her in June by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon. The Democrat accused McMahon of violating her oath of office by making false and misleading statements to Congress and violating federal law.
Those accusations center around McMahon transferring the operations of 140 federal programs under the Department of Education’s umbrella to other federal agencies without Congressional consent.
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“Secretary McMahon has betrayed students, families, and educators by dismantling and demolishing the Department of Education, something she does not have authority to do,” Bonamici said in a prepared statement released by her office in June.
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U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Maryland, joined the Democrats seeking to impeach McMahon. Alsobrooks accused McMahon of illegally attempting to eliminate the Department of Education and subsequently costing American taxpayers “untold amounts of money and other resources,” she said.
McMahon fired more than 40% of the Department of Education’s staff after being appointed by Trump to the post. McMahon has argued that she has the authority to transfer the services from the Department of Education to other agencies, ABC News reported earlier this year.
“It speaks volumes that House Democrats think an impeachable offense is working to improve student outcomes and reduce the federal bureaucracy,” McMahon wrote in a social media post in June. “To the Democrats in Congress: do better.”
NewsNation's Michael Ramsey contributed to this report
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