House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he is a “hard yes” on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and he wants Hegseth gone.
Quick Take
- Jeffries told ABC News he is a “hard yes” on the resolution to impeach Hegseth
- Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, is forcing the House to vote on the articles
- Hegseth calls the push “sham articles of impeachment” and pure political theater
- President Trump has defended Hegseth, and cabinet impeachments are historically very rare
Jeffries Draws a Hard Line on Hegseth
Jeffries did not hedge when ABC News asked if Democrats would back the impeachment resolution against Hegseth. “I’m a hard Yes on the Hegseth resolution,” he said, adding that the “so-called Secretary of Defense has abused his power, undermined our national security” and pushed the country into a costly war of choice in Iran. That is not a maybe. That is a leader telling his party exactly where to stand before the vote even happens.
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Jeffries is widely seen as the frontrunner to lead the House once Democrats take control in January, which gives his words extra weight. When the man expected to run the chamber says “Pete Hegseth has got to go,” it is not just talk. It is a signal to every Democrat in the building about how the vote should go.
Massie Forces the Issue to a Vote
None of this happens without Representative Thomas Massie. The Kentucky Republican, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, announced he is forcing the House to vote on impeaching Hegseth. Massie drafted the articles himself and has pushed to bring them to the floor, putting members of both parties on record whether they like it or not.
That matters because forcing a floor vote strips away the comfort of staying quiet. Lawmakers who might prefer to dodge the question now have to choose a side publicly. Jeffries already made his choice. The real test is whether enough Republicans join Massie to make the math work, since Democrats alone cannot remove a cabinet secretary.
Hegseth Pushes Back Hard
Hegseth is not taking this quietly. He called the effort “sham articles of impeachment” brought by “a disgruntled, defeated congressman” and his “Democrat allies”. He framed the whole thing as political theater, saying his opponents’ policies do not work, so they turn to what he called “the politics of personal destruction.”
Hegseth also pointed to history, arguing that similar efforts failed twice against Trump and would fail against him too. He defended his record at the Pentagon in a public video, saying the department “has never been afraid to lead the way” during his time in charge. Whether that record holds up is exactly what Congress will now be forced to debate on the record.
Trump Backs His Pick While Republicans Grumble
President Trump has defended Hegseth directly, signaling the secretary is not on his list of cabinet officials headed for the exit. That support matters politically, since a cabinet secretary with the president firmly behind him is a much harder target to remove than one twisting in the wind alone.
Still, not every Republican is thrilled with how things have gone. Some GOP members who oppose impeachment have said the administration could do a far better job explaining its plan for the Iran war to Congress and the public. That is a fair point and worth taking seriously, even from lawmakers who have no intention of voting Hegseth out.
Why Impeachment Rarely Ends in Removal
History offers a reality check here. The House has started impeachment proceedings more than 60 times but has only impeached 20 people in the nation’s entire history, and just eight were ever convicted and removed, every single one a federal judge. No cabinet secretary has ever been convicted by the Senate.
That base rate matters. A “hard yes” from Jeffries and a forced floor vote from Massie make for dramatic headlines, but removal requires a two-thirds Senate vote that has almost never been reached outside of judicial misconduct cases. The fight ahead will test whether this becomes a genuine accountability moment or another chapter in a long history of impeachment used mostly to make a political point.
Sources:
youtube.com, usatoday.com, khq.com, inquirer.com
