House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, poised to become majority leader, said on Sunday that he strongly supports impeaching defense secretary Pete Hegseth as a Republican lawmaker prepares to force a House vote.
The top Democrat made his position clear during an appearance on ABC’s This Week, declaring himself a “hard yes” on the impeachment resolution targeting Hegseth.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” Jeffries said. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
The announcement comes as Kentucky Republican representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing congressman and frequent critic of Donald Trump, moves to revive his impeachment effort against Hegseth.
Massie said he plans to reintroduce an impeachment resolution as soon as Monday, potentially setting up a House showdown within days. The measure includes eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of multiple offenses, including violating the War Powers Resolution of ۱۹۷۳.
Asked whether he expects the entire Democratic caucus to support the resolution, Jeffries said members will “have that conversation” Tuesday morning when lawmakers return to Washington for the first time since the midterm elections.
“But I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution,” Jeffries said.
The mounting pressure on Hegseth follows Republican losses in the midterm elections, with both Trump and voters identifying the Iran war as a major factor in the party’s defeat.
A former senior Pentagon official pointed directly to the defense department’s role in the conflict, saying Wednesday that the war “has been primarily a Department of War-led effort because you chose to take military action to resolve a foreign policy matter”.
“If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it’s Pete Hegseth,” one Republican close to the White House added in an interview with CNN. “Pete has been either dishonest or incorrect – neither of which are acceptable – about timelines, goals and objectives since the beginning.”
Despite the criticism, Trump has continued to stand behind Hegseth. When reporters asked on Wednesday whether he was considering replacing Hegseth, the president dismissed the possibility.
“No, I think he’s doing a very good job,” Trump said.
Hegseth, meanwhile, pushed back against the impeachment effort in a video posted to social media on Thursday, accusing his political opponents of pursuing a politically motivated campaign against him.
“A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice,” Hegseth said. “It’s all about the politics of personal destruction – didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me.”
The impeachment push comes as Democrats prepare to intensify scrutiny of Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary. Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth and his handling of the Pentagon, and aides say that could include everything from his handling of the Iran war to his purges of top military officers, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff.
He could also face scrutiny over his Ukraine policy and US military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Latin American waters, which some Democrats say could amount to war crimes.
