Jeffries backs impeaching Hegseth as Massie readies House resolution

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is "a hard yes" on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie plans to introduce articles of impeachment as early as Monday.

Ally Daily Editorial DeskNovember 09, 2026, 09:31 AMUpdated: November 09, 2026, 10:36 AM

Jeffries backs impeaching Hegseth as Massie readies House resolution

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, widely expected to become Speaker when Democrats take control of the chamber in January, said Sunday he is "a hard yes" on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Jeffries told ABC's 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 Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has said he plans to introduce an impeachment resolution as early as Monday. It contains eight articles alleging that Hegseth waged war on Iran without the congressional authorization required under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks on the House floor (file photo)

President Donald Trump defended Hegseth. "They want to impeach him. Very unfair," Trump told CBS News' 60 Minutes. "We had two wars, we won both. We won Venezuela, we won Iran." The Pentagon said it had followed the law and that Hegseth would not be deterred by "phony investigations."

Hegseth last week released a video urging Congress to approve the Pentagon's latest budget request, calling Massie's effort "sham articles." "It's all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn't work against President Trump and it won't work with me," he said.

Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, while removal from office requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Democrats will hold a large House majority after last week's midterm elections but will fall well short of two-thirds in the Senate, meaning Republicans would need to join them to remove Hegseth. Jeffries has said House Democrats are not currently focused on impeaching Trump.

Trump went further with reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday, calling Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "two very fine people" and saying Hegseth was "guilty of winning two wars." Asked about Democratic calls to impeach both men, he said Democrats "gotta get back to the country." Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, called Hegseth "completely incompetent," saying he is "like an 8-year-old playing with toy soldiers every day" and that "there has to be real accountability."

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