Hakeem Jeffries Backs Impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Eight articles of impeachment targeting Pete Hegseth are slated for a House vote after Republican midterm losses fueled an internal party backlash.

House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries declared himself a hard yes on the impeachment resolution during an appearance on ABC’s This Week. Jeffries stated that the defense secretary has abused power, undermined national security, and engineered a reckless war of choice in Iran that skyrocketed prices.

According to Axios, retiring Representative Don Bacon described Hegseth as lacking support on Capitol Hill, while Representative Thomas Massie planned to force the vote. Democratic leaders are weighing caucus unity as they prepare to investigate Pentagon leadership.

Republican politics changed following midterm defeats that CNN characterized as a 2008-level shellacking for the party. CNN reported that Republican lawmakers and allies blamed Hegseth for convincing Donald Trump to attack Iran without an exit strategy.

Axios highlighted that Republican leaders had previously avoided the measure before Election Day by sending lawmakers home early. Despite the mounting pressure from within his own party, President Trump dismissed the possibility of replacing Hegseth, telling reporters on Wednesday that he thinks the defense secretary is doing a very good job.

Pete Hegseth hit back at his critics in a video posted to social media on Thursday, dismissing the proceedings as a politically motivated campaign. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell issued a statement to Axios and CNN asserting that Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points through phony investigations.

Parnell maintained that the Department of War has followed the law and that Hegseth is fully committed to leading the department until the end of the presidential term. Even if the House passes the impeachment resolution, removing Hegseth from office would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate.