US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, likely to become the first Black Speaker of the House after the Democrats' victory in the midterms, has come out in support of impeaching defence secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his power and undermining national security.
His remarks came as efforts to oust the Pentagon chief picked up steam after US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance appeared to blame the Iran war, championed by Hegseth, for the Republicans' defeat on November 3.
"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 told ABC's 'This Week'.
Deep Dive
Why does Hakeem Jeffries support impeaching Pete Hegseth?
What does Thomas Massie accuse Pete Hegseth of in his impeachment resolution?
Could the impeachment push against Pete Hegseth affect Trump’s defense budget?
Also Read | Pete Hegseth faces Republican heat as Iran war blamed for midterm rout
Jeffries appeared confident that House Democrats will join him in supporting the potential resolution to oust Hegseth after a discussion on Tuesday morning when members will convene in Washington for the first time since the elections, adding that Hegseth has "got to go."
{{/usCountry}}Jeffries appeared confident that House Democrats will join him in supporting the potential resolution to oust Hegseth after a discussion on Tuesday morning when members will convene in Washington for the first time since the elections, adding that Hegseth has "got to go."
{{/usCountry}}Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth, including his handling of the Iran war, purges of top military officers, Ukraine policy, strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in Latin America, which could amount to war crimes.
Republican Congressman seeks to impeach Hegseth
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, the outgoing lawmaker who has often clashed with Trump, said last week that he will “definitely” reintroduce articles of impeachment when the House reconvenes. Massie also suggested that Trump fire Hegseth quickly so the Senate could confirm his successor before the Democrats take control in January.
Massie told ABC News that he intends to reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Hegseth as early as Monday. His resolution contains eight articles of impeachment against the secretary of defence, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973, in addition to other alleged offences.
Earlier, Republican US Senator Thom Tillis told CBS News that Hegseth had a reckoning coming after the midterm rout. Tillis said Hegseth's strained relationship with lawmakers was undermining the Trump administration's push for a $1.5 trillion defence spending package in Congress.
Trump backs Hegseth amid backlash
Amid growing pressure on Hegseth, Trump has publicly defended the Pentagon chief, saying he has done a "fantastic job."
The US President told reporters in Florida on Sunday that Hegseth was crucial to “basically winning two wars” - the Iran war and the US military action that removed Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro from power. "And what are we going to do with one of the guys that was most responsible? They want to impeach him," he added.
Hegseth also defended himself last week, saying "politics of destruction" won't work with him.
"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. It's all about the politics of personal destruction — didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me," he said in a social media post.
(with inputs from Bloomberg)