Top House Democrat backs impeaching Pentagon chief Hegseth over Iran war
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has backed impeaching US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his role in the war with Iran, as pressure on the Pentagon chief grows following the Republican Party's defeat in the November 3 midterm elections.
Jeffries said on ABC's This Week on November 8 that he was a "hard yes" on an impeachment resolution that could be introduced as early as this week, Bloomberg reported.
"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.
House Democrats are expected to discuss the proposal on November 10, their first meeting since winning control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.
"Pete Hegseth has got to go," Jeffries said, predicting strong support for the resolution.
The push is not limited to Democrats.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said he would "definitely" reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth. Massie had previously sought to impeach the defense secretary over the launch of the Iran war without congressional authorization.
Another Republican, Representative French Hill of Arkansas, said President Donald Trump should consider replacing Hegseth if he was not properly leading the Pentagon, while distinguishing that question from whether Hegseth had committed an impeachable offense.
Trump, however, has publicly defended his defense secretary.
Speaking to reporters in Florida on November 8, the president praised Hegseth's role in what he described as "basically winning two wars" — the conflict with Iran and the US military operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
Trump has also denied reports that he is considering replacing Hegseth, saying the defense secretary has done a "good job."
Although Democrats won both chambers in the midterms, the newly elected Congress will not take office until January 2027. Republicans retain control of Congress until then.
Under the US Constitution, the House of Representatives can impeach a cabinet secretary by a simple majority, but removal from office requires a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.
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