House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that he will support an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.2,3,5
Jeffries was asked by co-anchor Jonathan Karl about a resolution expected from Rep. Thomas Massie to impeach Hegseth as defense secretary. Jeffries said he was a "hard yes," accusing Hegseth of abusing power and undermining national security and linking the effort to the war in Iran, higher prices and public safety.2,5
Massie, a Kentucky Republican described as an outgoing lawmaker who has often clashed with President Donald Trump, told ABC News he intends to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Hegseth as early as Monday. By raising a question of privilege on the floor, leaders are required to schedule a vote within two legislative days. The resolution contains eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 in addition to other alleged offenses. Massie filed eight articles of impeachment in early September before the House adjourned, and has said he plans to force a vote at the beginning of this week, giving Hegseth an ultimatum following the midterm elections to resign or face impeachment.4,5
"I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. 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," Jeffries said on ABC's "This Week." "Pete Hegseth has got to go."3,5
Karl asked, "And you're confident all other Democrats are going to join you on that?" Jeffries said Democrats would discuss the measure when they return to Washington. "We'll certainly have that conversation on Tuesday morning when we reconvene for the first time in Washington, D.C., but I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution," Jeffries said. Jeffries, who will likely be the Speaker of the House come January, said the Democratic caucus would discuss Massie's articles in full once they return to the lower chamber on Tuesday.2,3,4,5
Trump has defended Hegseth, telling reporters Thursday that he has "done a fantastic job." The president also told Karl the same day, "I have every intention to keep him." Hegseth also defended himself Thursday in a video posted on social media. "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," Hegseth said. "It's all about the politics of personal destruction — didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me."5
Jeffries said Democrats promised during the campaign to focus on affordability and accountability. "There's a cost to corruption and throughout this campaign, we promised that we would focus certainly on affordability and driving down the high cost of living, and on accountability in the face of the unprecedented corruption that we've seen unleashed on the American people by the Trump cartel," Jeffries said. According to ABC News national voter polls, 55% of voters who voted for U.S. House races said that government corruption was "crucial" to their vote; another 36% said it was a "major factor." Jeffries said he has still not spoken to Trump since the midterm elections, which he described as a "tremendous repudiation of MAGA extremism."2,5
Bringing down costs for housing, groceries, gas and healthcare will be top priorities for his party in the new Congress, Jeffries said, as well as ending the war with Iran, stopping "the Trump tariffs," and reversing the Medicaid cuts that put the health insurance of millions of Americans at risk and threatens to close hospitals all over the place. "The American people clearly want change that's bold, change that's transformational, and change that is dramatic," Jeffries said, adding "we certainly need to reverse the SNAP cuts, and we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. And hopefully we'll see some courage by a few of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work on these issues to get things done." The Democratic Party is "committed to moving aggressively during the first 100 days of the new Congress and beyond to keep our word," Jeffries said.5
Jeffries also criticized Trump's decision announced Friday to elevate White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. "It's an awful choice. Stephen Miller is the architect of Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine and has unleashed billions of taxpayer dollars to brutalize and kill American citizens," Jeffries said, naming Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good, and accusing the administration of violently targeting law-abiding immigrant families. "So, you know, it was an irresponsible decision in my view," Jeffries said. "There's not going to be an opportunity, certainly, to work with Stephen Miller and what he represents. And we're committed to forcefully pushing back against the extremism that they may try to continue to unleash on the American people," he added.5
Karl pressed Jeffries to clarify whether he meant he would not be able to communicate with Miller in the way he sometimes communicated with Wiles. Jeffries said cooperation would not happen with the new chief of staff, saying Miller, Hegseth and others represent what he called "a really toxic brand of political engagement, of politics and of governance." He said the American people just voted for that kind of MAGA extremism to be eradicated. While Trump said after the election that he thinks he can work with Democrats, Jeffries questioned that intention in light of the Miller appointment.5
House members are to convene in Washington for the first time since the midterm election on Tuesday morning, when Jeffries said Democrats will discuss the resolution.2,4,5
