Massie Says Pete Hegseth Should Be Impeached

This week’s discussion features editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Matt Welch examining Representative Thomas Massie’s (R–Ky.) bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. They weigh whether removing Hegseth could help bring an end to the conflict with Iran, consider why President Donald Trump bears ultimate accountability for his administration’s policies, and question whether Congress will finally reclaim oversight of military decision-making.

The conversation shifts to Trump’s move to replace White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, and what that indicates about the administration’s approach following its crushing midterm setback. The editors then analyze whether Democrats are misreading their electoral mandate as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) advocates expanding Medicare and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) gears up to challenge major corporations. Later, they review the early contenders for the 2028 presidential election, including Vice President J.D. Vance and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D–Ga.). Finally, a listener asks whether Americans should take greater pride in the country’s ability to conduct free and fair elections.

 

0:00—Is Pete Hegseth headed for impeachment?

8:43—Stephen Miller steps into the role of chief of staff

20:27—Trump’s interview with 60 Minutes

26:27—Will Democrats overstep their mandate?

32:02—Listener question about election integrity

37:15—The 2028 presidential field

41:26—FIRE Soapbox 2026

49:51—Weekly cultural recommendations

 

Upcoming Reason Events

Reason Versus—Authoritarianism Is a Right-Wing Problem, November 10

 

Mentioned in the Podcast:

“Impeach Pete Hegseth,” by Ilya Somin

“Impeach Pete Hegseth for the Disastrous Iran War,” by Gene Healy

“How Murdering Suspected Drug Smugglers Became the New Normal,” by Jacob Sullum

“As Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller Will Reinforce Trump’s Worst Instincts,” by Jacob Sullum

“Trump Orders Justice Department To Investigate His Congressional Critics, Saying They Deserve ‘Imprisonment,'” by Jacob Sullum

“Trump’s Immigration Indecision,” by Liz Wolfe

“Yes, the Midterms Were About the Iran War,” by Matthew Petti

“How Did Republicans Lose This Badly? Voters Turned Against Trump’s Tariffs,” by Eric Boehm

“Bernie Sanders Wants To Use Democrats’ Midterm Victory To Expand Medicare. Has He Looked at Europe?” by Reem Ibrahim

“America Did Not Vote for Woke 2.0,” by Eric Boehm

“Which Way, Democrats?” by Christian Britschgi

“Trump and MAGA Lost, but Big Government Notched Another Victory,” by Nick Gillespie

“When You Investigate Trump’s Corruption, Don’t Make Collateral Damage of the Corporate Bystanders,” by Tosin Akintola

“It Was a Data Center Election After All,” by Christian Britschgi

“How Democrats Can Stop the Iran War Now,” by Matthew Petti

“Jon Ossoff, Once the Senate’s Most Vulnerable Democrat, Won Reelection by Running Against Trump’s Corruption,” by Joe Lancaster

“Fusionism in the Twenty-First Century,” by Jonathan H. Adler

“J.D. Vance and the Politics of Victimhood,” by Stephanie Slade

“How Frederick Douglass Destroyed John C. Calhoun With the Power of John Locke,” by Damon Root

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