As the nation’s top military official oversees an agency managing more than a $1 trillion budget and employing 3.4 million Americans, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver devoted his show entirely to a blistering takedown of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling for his immediate removal from office and urging that he be barred from ever holding future federal office.
Oliver’s segment arrived amid mounting political pressure following historic Republican losses in the midterm elections, which left some lawmakers and officials pointing to the war in Iran as a major liability.
According to an AP Voter Poll survey of more than 100,000 voters, approximately 6 in 10 respondents felt the U.S. made the wrong decision in initiating military action against Iran, while about a third indicated the war heavily shaped their congressional vote.
The comedy segment coincided with a formal resolution containing eight articles of impeachment filed against Hegseth by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Massie’s resolution sets up potential parliamentary action in the House, accusing the defense chief of waging the war in Iran without congressional authorization past War Powers deadlines, launching unlawful strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean, ignoring mandates to minimize civilian casualties, retaliating against a senator over protected speech, directing the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela without legal authority, and ordering an unauthorized operation in Yemen.
Democratic Representative Hakeem Jeffries, mounting a campaign to become the next House Speaker, stated in an interview that he would support Hegseth’s impeachment. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has defended Hegseth, telling reporters that the secretary is guilty of two things: Basically winning two wars
and expressing belief that the administration saved the Middle East and Israel.
Throughout the broadcast, Oliver examined what he characterized as a continuous trail of red flags spanning Hegseth’s career, from his pre-cabinet days to his tenure leading the military. The host critiqued a video shared by Hegseth on November 5—in which the defense secretary claimed critics were attacking officials because they were effective—comparing the delivery to Disney antagonists.
I’ve seen some of my colleagues say @SecWar Hegseth has been effective and they agree with the war, so they’ll vote not to impeach. That’s not the question though. The question is whether he committed impeachable acts, and the answer is yes, eight times:https://t.co/JnrtWL15Sb
Oliver also lampooned Hegseth’s physical fitness demonstrations, including kettlebell swings evaluated by a fitness expert as resembling a “dainty” ballet move, as well as his past commentary regarding servicemembers’ testosterone levels and combat exclusions for female soldiers.
The program further touched upon past controversies, including Hegseth’s 2017 financial settlement with a woman who accused him of sexual assault, his use of the commercial messaging app Signal for military operations, and a 2018 email published by The New York Times in which Penelope Hegseth sharply criticized her son regarding his treatment of women.
When Oliver’s production team requested comment from the Pentagon for their investigation, a spokesperson responded via email with the message, Deport John Oliver.
Hegseth has actively pushed back against the wave of criticism. Addressing reporters, he maintained that questioning military campaigns such as Epic Fury, Rough Rider, or operations in Venezuela is equivalent to criticizing the troops themselves. In response to Massie’s legislative push, Hegseth labeled the Kentucky congressman a disgruntled, defeated congressman
in an official Pentagon social media video.
Despite ongoing calls from critics and certain party members to replace him before newly elected congressional leadership assumes control in January, President Trump has maintained that Hegseth is performing well in his role. Hegseth scheduled a news conference for Tuesday to address the mounting impeachment efforts directly.
