Don Bacon Announces Presidential Bid and Blocks Hegseth Impeachment
Representative Don Bacon announced his readiness to run for president while joining Republicans to block the immediate impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
U.S. Representative Don Bacon announced he is prepared to run for president, citing national security, healthcare costs, a shrinking workforce, and the $40 trillion national debt as his primary concerns. The five-term Republican, who leaves office in January, plans to detail his vision at the National Press Club next week and has expressed a desire for bipartisan solutions.
On the legislative front, Bacon joined other House Republicans in a procedural vote to refer the impeachment of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to committee. This action effectively ended the current impeachment effort led by Representative Thomas Massie. While Bacon stated he has "grave concerns" regarding Hegseth's leadership and the removal of 80 high-ranking military officers, he declined to support impeachment because he supports the military actions in Iran cited in the articles.
Other Republicans, including Representative Adrian Smith, supported the referral to committee, characterizing the impeachment effort as political retribution. Democrats have vowed to restart the impeachment process after they take control of the House in January. In separate criticisms, Bacon faulted Vice President J.D. Vance for his analysis of recent Republican election losses and criticized the selection of Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff.
