Owens says Hegseth is a powerless figurehead, deflects blame to Feinberg
Candace OwensPolitical commentator
Candace Owens responded to Massie's impeachment articles by arguing Hegseth "doesn't control or make any decisions," attributing real authority to Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg, without taking a direct position on whether Hegseth should be impeached.
“Pete Hegseth doesn't control or make any decisions. It's the deputy secretary, billionaire Steve Feinberg that runs everything. Pete does as he is told, just like Trump.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Should Pete Hegseth be impeached?
Members of the House have advanced multiple impeachment proposals involving Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Rep. Shri Thanedar introduced H.Res. 935 in December 2025, Rep. Yassamin Ansari introduced H.Res. 1177 in April 2026, and Rep. Thomas Massie announced in September that he would offer a privileged resolution. The proposals allege distinct conduct involving military operations, oversight, and the handling of sensitive information; the proposals themselves do not establish those allegations. Hegseth disputed the characterization that anyone was “texting war plans,” while Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson called the April effort a charade and, after Massie read his articles on September 15, defended Hegseth’s record without addressing the specific allegations. The dispute is whether the House should impeach Hegseth on the basis of the congressional proposals and available evidence.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Candace Owens' X post quote-replying Thomas Massie's announcement of articles of impeachment against Hegseth.
Before the quotation
Quote-replying Thomas Massie's own post announcing he was reading articles of impeachment against Hegseth on the House floor.
After the quotation
Owens did not say whether she supports or opposes the impeachment articles themselves.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Owens neither defends nor condemns the impeachment push directly; she minimizes Hegseth's personal culpability by framing him as a powerless figurehead while implicitly criticizing Deputy Secretary Steve Feinberg and Trump as the real decision-makers -- a genuinely mixed position that redirects rather than resolves the impeachment question.
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- Pete Hegseth
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Read the full caseMassie says he will force the vote soon after the House returns
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“Pete Hegseth remains incompetent and is not doing what's necessary to protect our service members, which is why he's my priority number one if we retake the majority, to make sure we oust him from the Pentagon, because our service members actually deserve competent, serious, real leadership that will protect them and do the right thing.”Read statement
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“And Pete Hegseth needs to be pushed aside by the president, or we’re going to have to deal with that situation if he is not.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Owens says Hegseth is a powerless figurehead, deflects blame to Feinberg". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/835-candace-owens-responded-to-massie-s-impeachment-articles