1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must be impeached and removed from office immediately. His illegal interference in military promotions based on race and gender is a betrayal of every principle our armed forces stand for. Hegseth blocked the promotions of at least six officers, including four Army officers set to become one-star generals—two Black men and two women. He fired Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown, the second African American to hold that position, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as the Navy's top uniformed officer. In his book, Hegseth questioned whether Brown earned his position or got it because of his race. This is not leadership. This is discrimination. Sen. Jack Reed is right: denying promotions based on race or gender is not only outrageous, it's illegal. Hegseth has spent years calling our military "woke" and claiming diversity weakens our forces. Now he's purging qualified officers who don't fit his ideology. This undermines military readiness and violates the merit-based system that makes our armed forces strong. Start impeachment proceedings now. Our military deserves better than a Secretary who judges officers by their demographics instead of their service.