House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become majority leader, said on Sunday that he strongly supports impeaching defense secretary Pete Hegseth, throwing the weight of the top House Democrat behind an effort that a Republican lawmaker is preparing to force to a vote.
Speaking on ABC's This Week, Jeffries left no ambiguity about his position. "I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," he said. "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. Pete Hegseth has got to go."
The impeachment push in the House is being led by Kentucky representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing Republican congressman and frequent critic of Donald Trump. Massie said he intends to reintroduce an impeachment resolution as soon as Monday, potentially setting up a House showdown within days. The measure contains eight articles of impeachment and accuses Hegseth of multiple offenses, among them violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
Asked whether he expects the entire Democratic caucus to back the resolution, Jeffries said members will "have that conversation" on 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," he added.
The mounting pressure on Hegseth follows Republican losses in the midterms, 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 at the defense department's role in the conflict, saying on 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." A Republican close to the White House went further in an interview with CNN: "If the president is serious about anyone taking responsibility for it, it's Pete Hegseth. 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 his defense secretary. Asked by reporters 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, for his part, pushed back against the impeachment effort in a video posted to social media on Thursday, framing it as a politically motivated campaign. "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," he 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 drive comes as Democrats prepare to intensify scrutiny of Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon, with the party promising investigations of his leadership. Aides say that could cover everything from his handling of the Iran war to his purges of top military officers, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff. 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, could also come under examination.
