Hakeem Jeffries Backs Pete Hegseth Impeachment as Democrats Vow Probes
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he supports impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as Democrats prepare to use their new congressional majorities to investigate some of President Donald Trump's closest allies.
"I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," Jeffries said Sunday, Nov. 8, on ABC's "This Week." He accused Hegseth of abusing his power and undermining national security, adding, "Pete Hegseth has got to go," ABC News reported.
The Case Against Hegseth
The impeachment push is being led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, an outgoing lawmaker and critic of the war with Iran, who first filed impeachment articles against Hegseth in September. Massie, who leaves Congress in January after losing a Trump-backed primary, planned to reintroduce the resolution as early as Monday, Nov. 9.
The resolution contains eight articles, including accusations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Because it is a privileged resolution, House leaders must schedule a floor vote within two legislative days.
Jeffries called the Iran war "reckless and costly" and predicted "incredibly strong support" for the measure. The House can impeach an official with a simple majority, but removal from office requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, Al Jazeera noted.
Hegseth and Trump Push Back
Hegseth has dismissed the effort. He called the resolution a "sham" in a video defending himself, saying, "It's all about the politics of personal destruction."
Trump has stood by his defense secretary, saying Hegseth has "done a fantastic job" and that he has "every intention to keep him."
Democrats Plan Investigations
Democrats won control of the House and flipped the Senate in the Nov. 3 midterms, and they are signaling that oversight will be a priority when they take power in January.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, who is expected to lead the House Oversight Committee, released a two-word statement on election night: "Lawyer up." Garcia said investigations would examine Elon Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency's firing of federal workers, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
Garcia also wants to look into newly named White House chief of staff Stephen Miller, whom he called the architect of a "horrific, unjust" immigration policy. Jeffries called Miller's promotion "an awful choice" and "an irresponsible decision." Garcia added that there is "a lot of interest, not just from our committee," in hearing from Musk.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is set to lead the Senate Banking Committee, warned that some large companies should "get ready for some investigations, serious ones," though she did not name any.
The Administration Fires Back
The Trump administration is pushing back hard. In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump called on the Justice Department to investigate Democrats over plans to bring his allies before congressional committees, calling them "SLEAZEBAGS" who "should go to jail." He also said threats against "innocent Republican Donors" were "absolutely unprecedented, and totally illegal."
Attorney General Todd Blanche said on CNN's "State of the Union" that investigations of Democratic lawmakers over what he called threatening rhetoric were possible. "If that's what this new incoming leadership wants to do, we are ready," he said, adding that threats against administration officials are "not something we can tolerate in this country."
Jeffries, who is expected to become House speaker in January, said Democrats will move "aggressively" in their first 100 days on affordability and what he called "unprecedented corruption." He called the midterm results a "tremendous repudiation of MAGA extremism" and said he has not spoken with Trump since the election. House Democrats are set to meet Tuesday in Washington for the first time since the midterms. His priorities include lowering costs, ending the Iran war, stopping the tariffs and reversing cuts to Medicaid and SNAP.
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