Top House Democrat 'a hard yes' on impeaching Pete Hegseth
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed strong support for impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move follows a resolution introduced by Republican congressman Thomas Massie, citing concerns over Hegseth's handling of military conflicts in Iran.
Why it matters
This signals an aggressive shift in congressional oversight as Democrats prepare to use their new majority to challenge the Trump administration's executive actions.
Image source, EPA/Reuters Image caption, Hakeem Jeffries (left) made the comments after Pete Hegseth (right) released a video doubling down on his record as defence secretary
The frontrunner to lead the US House of Representatives after Democrats take control of Congress in January has said he is "a hard yes" for impeaching Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth.
New York congressman Hakeem Jeffries told ABC's programme This Week that Hegseth had "abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran".
Outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massie, a foe of President Donald Trump, has said he plans to introduce a resolution to impeach Hegseth as early as Monday.
In a statement to the BBC, the Pentagon said it had followed the law and that Hegseth would not be deterred by "phony investigations".
Congress returns to session this week after the Democrats' midterm elections landslide victory.
Also covering this story
2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in