Jake Auchincloss
Role at the time: U.S. representative for Massachusetts’s 4th Congressional District
Statement summary
In a Fox News appearance reproduced in his constituent newsletter, Rep. Auchincloss said Hegseth’s record warranted impeachment and called him a threat to the public. His account of the war and the Mecca Pact is his own characterisation.
“I think the pattern of conduct by the Secretary of Defense, starting with Signalgate, with munitions readiness, with the absolutely incompetent execution of this war that has brought in a nuclear power to the Middle East through the Mecca Pact, far from actually getting rid of a nuclear enrichment strategy, warrants impeachment. This Secretary of Defense is a clear and present threat to the American public.”
Constituent newsletter from Rep. Auchincloss’s office that reproduces his September 6, 2026 exchange on Fox News’ “The Big Weekend Show.” The newsletter is the fullest available text of the exchange; the Fox video page carries no transcript.
Why we used this label
Relative to whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Auchincloss says the pattern of conduct “warrants impeachment.” He uses the operative term directly rather than criticising the conduct alone.