U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reacts during a press conference to discuss the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s "National Farm Security Action Plan," outside the USDA in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Veterans and senior military officers who were purged from the Pentagon say firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth isn’t enough.
As calls grow for Hegseth to leave the Pentagon, veterans groups and some of the officers he pushed out told MS NOW that the new Congress needs to hold him accountable – whether or not he keeps his job – by impeaching him, convicting him and then barring him from ever holding office again.
“There is no pathway back to an effective and respected DOD with Hegseth as the secretary of war,” one purged military leader said. “Many military leaders blame Congress as much as they blame Hegseth. The government has failed the military. Impeaching Hegseth is the first step of restoring faith and confidence.”
The former officer spoke anonymously, citing fear of retaliation from the Pentagon.
Retired Rear Adm. Michael Smith, founder of National Security Leaders for America, said the case against Hegseth goes well beyond the Iran war, citing the deadly boat strikes in the Caribbean.
“Those are war crimes, and Congress needs to pull the people in and find out why did the Southern Command commander resign?” Smith said. “Was it because he was given an illegal order and he didn’t want to follow that?”
Veterans groups also cited Hegseth’s failure to evacuate military families from Bahrain before the Iran war began. Spouses and children were left in danger when Iran struck the Navy’s largest base in the Middle East. The groups also pointed to poor conditions reported aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, and to the firing of many senior officers who are women and people of color.
The Unite for Veterans Coalition, a nonpartisan alliance of veterans organizations, wants the maximum penalty.
“Pete Hegseth needs to be impeached, needs to be removed from his position, needs to be convicted and disqualified from holding future office,” said Kristofer Goldsmith, an Army veteran and founder of Veterans Fighting Fascism. “He has shown us that he is willing to put Americans’ lives at risk.”
The groups plan to gather in Washington on Veterans Day.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), who lost his primary and is retiring, is expected to force an impeachment vote next week. His articles accuse Hegseth of waging an unauthorized war on Iran, violating the War Powers Resolution and retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), among other charges.
Hegseth brushed off the effort in a Pentagon video Thursday, calling it a “sham.”
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction, didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me,” he said.
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