Trump supporters attending the GOP midterm convention in Dallas dismissed Democratic calls to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth, though the political landscape could look very different after November’s elections.
Republicans currently control the House, leaving Democrats without the votes needed to impeach Hegseth.
That equation could shift in January if Democrats retake the House in the midterm elections. Control of the chamber would allow them to pursue impeachment proceedings against the Trump administration’s top Pentagon official.
Even so, removing Hegseth from office would require support from two-thirds of the Senate.
The prospect comes as recent surveys indicate Democrats are entering the midterms with an advantage.
A CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday put Democrats ahead of Republicans by 54 percent to 46 percent on the generic congressional ballot. Other national polls have likewise shown Democrats with a lead.
Micki Larson-Olson, an Iraq War veteran who attended the January 6 protest, argued that Democrats lacked the authority to remove Hegseth. Larson-Olson was arrested after defying police orders to leave the Capitol grounds, spent 161 days in jail and was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.
‘The Demonrats can’t do bit, diddley s***. You know why? Because they don’t have the power,’ she said.
Micki Larson-Olson, who was pardoned by President Trump after her January 6 arrest, said the “demonrats” could not do “bit, diddley s***” to impeach Secretary Hegseth.
House Democrats are pressing Congress to impeach and remove Hegseth, citing concerns over civilian casualties, military readiness and Pentagon transparency.
One attendee argued that Democrats were using Hegseth as a target because they were united more by opposition to Trump than by a single political agenda
‘They can’t impeach s***. You have to have justification. You have to prove that he broke our Constitution or whatever.’
Larson-Olson compared the effort with the impeachment proceedings brought against Trump, adding: ‘Look how many times they tried to impeach President Trump. They’re always putting in impeachment paperwork for President Trump.’
Her comments reflected a broader lack of concern among Trump supporters gathered in Dallas, with several saying the impeachment push would do little to change their view of Hegseth.
Joanne Chen Bryant said she was similarly unconcerned.
‘Democrats want to impeach everybody,’ she said. ‘So, you know, the fact that they want to impeach him doesn’t really hold too much water for me.’
Bryant said she trusted Hegseth because of his military background and the sensitive information available to him as secretary.
‘I know Pete’s background, and I know he’s a highly intelligent person,’ she said. ‘He has access to deeply secret and intelligent information that isn’t open to the regular citizen like me. And I trust him.’
Another attendee, Tracy, dismissed the effort as simply part of the political process.
A Republican supporter at the Republican convention in Dallas on September 10
The RNC had expected more than 20,000 people to attend the two-day convention, although the party did not release a final attendance figure
‘Isn’t that what Democrats do, is impeach people? Or try to?’ she said. ‘I’m not concerned about it. Just another legal process to waste time and money on.’
Rusty Ramgopal went further, arguing that Democrats were increasingly defined by their opposition to Trump.
‘I think the Democrats are saying that because they really don’t know what they’re about other than simply opposition to Trump or the Trump administration,’ he said.
‘The only thing that Democrats agree on is that they hate Donald Trump and hate the people around Donald Trump.’
Ramgopal also argued that impeachment had become too partisan.
‘Impeachment is a constitutional process. It’s a legal process, constitutional process, and sadly it’s been cheapened into a partisan political process in the modern day,’ he said.
Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April, led by Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari.
The resolution accuses him of, among other allegations, directing an unauthorized war against Iran, violating the law of armed conflict, mishandling sensitive military information, obstructing congressional oversight and abusing his office.
The articles also accuse Hegseth of conduct that allegedly brought disrepute upon the United States and its armed forces. The resolution was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
But the effort has done little to unsettle the Trump supporters who gathered in Dallas last week, who largely portrayed the impeachment push as another partisan fight between the Trump administration and its Democratic opponents.