John Oliver Demands Hegseth's Impeachment as Democrats Push to Oust Him After Iran School Bombing Scandal

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver has called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be impeached and removed from office, revisiting a series of controversies surrounding his leadership, including the US military's bombing of an elementary school in Iran. His demand comes as Democrats prepare to use their expanded congressional power to investigate the Trump administration, with Hegseth facing renewed scrutiny over military operations and civilian casualties.

Democrats Back Pete Hegseth Impeachment Push After Midterm Wins

Oliver's comments come as Democrats push for greater scrutiny of Hegseth following their 2026 midterm victories. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries backed impeachment on 8 November, calling himself a 'hard yes' on the proposal and criticising Hegseth's handling of the Iran war.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie also plans to push for an impeachment resolution when Congress returns. Democrats are preparing broader investigations into the administration, although removing Hegseth would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate following House impeachment.

Iran School Bombing Puts Hegseth's Civilian Protection Policies Under Scrutiny

One of Oliver's main criticisms concerned Hegseth's decision to dismantle the Pentagon's Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response programme, which was designed to reduce civilian casualties during military operations.

Oliver connected the cuts to the bombing of an elementary school in Iran, questioning whether the military's reduced civilian protection measures contributed to the tragedy.

The 28 February strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in Minab killed more than 160 people, most of them children, according to Iranian officials. A preliminary US assessment indicated that American forces were likely responsible, although investigators had not established that the school was deliberately targeted.

Oliver acknowledged that there was no certainty the programme would have prevented the bombing.

'I cannot say that if Hegseth hadn't gutted the civilian harm mitigation programme, that it would have definitely prevented that strike,' he said.

He added that the tragedy appeared to reflect a military more concerned with increasing its lethal capabilities than protecting human lives.

Oliver Revisits Hegseth's Sexual Assault Allegations and Signal Scandal

Oliver also examined previous controversies involving Hegseth, including sexual assault allegations stemming from an incident in 2017. Hegseth denied wrongdoing, and the incident did not result in criminal charges or formal prosecution, which continued to attract public scrutiny.

Another controversy involved Hegseth's use of the Signal messaging app to discuss sensitive military operations. A journalist was inadvertently added to a group chat in which officials discussed planned US strikes in Yemen, raising questions about the handling of sensitive national security information.

Oliver included both incidents in his examination of the Defense Secretary's record.

Oliver Wants Hegseth Barred From Future Federal Office

Oliver argued that impeachment should ideally prevent Hegseth from holding federal office again, questioning whether the Defense Secretary would change his approach.

'Hopefully, Congress will fix what it never should have allowed to happen in the first place, and remove him from office,' Oliver said.

Last Week Tonight airs Sundays at 11pm ET on HBO and streams on HBO Max. Selected segments are also published on the programme's official YouTube channel.