House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he supports efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which are expected to come up for a vote this week.
When asked in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” if he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in his effort to impeach Hegseth, Jeffries confirmed he supports that push.
“I am categorically in favor of the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said. “The so-called Secretary of Defense abused his power, undermined our national security, and staged this reckless and costly war in Iran, which sent costs skyrocketing for the American people and made the country less secure. »
“Pete Hegseth has to go,” he added.
Jeffries’ support marks a major endorsement of impeachment efforts against Hegseth and signals how other House Democrats could ultimately vote on the measure. The impeachment drive is also testing how far lawmakers are willing to go to oust Hegseth after voters gave low marks to the administration’s handling of the Iran war, which factored into midterm election results.
When asked on ABC News if Jeffries thought all other House Democrats would support the impeachment resolution, he said they would “have that conversation Tuesday morning.” The House resumes its work this week and the impeachment resolution is expected to be filed early this week, with a vote to follow.
Massie was a vocal critic of Hegseth and the Iran War. He had already introduced a resolution to impeach Hegseth in September, but Republican leaders canceled the planned votes and the House recused itself early, pushing the vote until after the election.
NBC News reported last week that President Donald Trump told allies he was considering Hegseth’s replacement. Trump, however, has publicly denied plans to replace Hegseth, telling reporters last week that he was “doing a very good job.”
At the same time, Hegseth has forcefully pushed back against plans to impeach Massie, calling Massie in a social media video last week a “disgruntled and defeated congressman.”
“This is, above all, a politics of personal destruction,” Hegseth said in the video. “It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured.”
Massie, however, said on social media last week that his “resolution to impeach Hegseth is a much milder version of what will happen when Democrats control Congress.” Democrats, Massie said, “would have hearings and trials.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., also introduced a resolution to impeach Hegseth in April. In a post sharing Jeffries’ comments on Sunday, Ansari said Hegseth “must be held accountable.”
“Let’s put this up for debate and vote this week,” she said in the post.
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