United States House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress and investigate President Donald Trump’s administration. Speaking on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Jeffries said he firmly supported a resolution expected in the coming days and anticipated substantial backing for it.
Outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, an outspoken opponent of the US-Israel war on Iran, has led the impeachment effort. Jeffries accused Hegseth of misusing his authority, damaging national security and orchestrating an unnecessary, expensive war in Iran. His endorsement comes after Democrats won both the House and Senate in the November 3 midterm elections, recording some of their largest House gains in more than 50 years.
Jeffries is positioned to become House speaker when the new Congress takes office on January 3. Republicans currently control the presidency and both congressional chambers, while conservatives hold a Supreme Court supermajority that includes three Trump appointees. Democrats will select their congressional leaders in the coming weeks. Jeffries said their first 100 days would involve forceful action on affordability and alleged corruption, with scrutiny extending to Congress, the Supreme Court and the administration.
Representative Robert Garcia, who formally sought leadership of the House Oversight Committee in a letter to colleagues on Thursday, outlined potential investigations during a Sunday CNN appearance. He said Stephen Miller, appointed White House chief of staff last week, deserved scrutiny over his central role in administration policy. Garcia linked Miller to immigration measures separating families and allegations of due process violations. Miller has been closely associated with Trump’s hardline immigration agenda since the president’s first term.
Garcia also expressed interest in questioning businessman Elon Musk about his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. The federal initiative brought widespread government workforce reductions early in Trump’s second term and sought access to sensitive government data, including personal information about Americans. Garcia described the job losses and the possibility that people’s data had been compromised as serious concerns.
Congressional committees can summon witnesses, obtain documents through subpoenas and conduct hearings to scrutinise the executive branch. The House Oversight Committee is the chamber’s main investigative panel. Impeachment requires a simple House majority, but conviction and removal require support from two-thirds of the Senate, a substantial hurdle despite the incoming Democratic majority.
Attorney General Todd Blanche responded on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday by raising the possibility of investigations into Democratic lawmakers over rhetoric he characterised as threatening. Blanche, previously Trump’s personal lawyer, said he was prepared to defend administration officials against investigations and impeachment efforts. In a Saturday Truth Social post, Trump likewise urged the Justice Department to investigate Democrats over their plans to bring his allies before congressional committees, asserting that their conduct was illegal and calling for imprisonment.
