House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries inched closer to calling for embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s impeachment over the weekend, pledging to take action if President Donald Trump doesn’t remove him.
“It means that we’re going to hold him accountable in the same way that we held Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem accountable,” Jeffries said to MS NOW on Saturday. “And Pete Hegseth needs to be pushed aside by the president, or we’re going to have to deal with that situation if he is not.”
The House minority leader, however, stopped short of explicitly committing to launching or supporting an impeachment of Hegseth, who has drawn ire from lawmakers in both parties.
The House could vote on articles of impeachment filed by the outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) as soon as lawmakers return to Washington after the midterms. Asked about his support, Jeffries said he will “act consistently” with his repeated calls for Trump to fire Hegseth.
Massie pledged to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth when Congress returns to Washington in a post on the social media site X on Monday morning.
Jeffries’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democrats, who are favored to take control of the House after the midterms, have vowed to go after Trump officials and allies using their oversight powers. The Pentagon has been a particularly prominent target, including over the war in Iran and allegations of war crimes, scrutiny of Pentagon business dealings and the removal of senior military officers.
“Hegseth and crew better buckle up and lawyer up because we are coming at them full on,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) told POLITICO last month. “It’s incredibly aggressive oversight because this is by far the most corrupt and least transparent Pentagon, I think, we’ve ever had.”
The secretary is also in hot water with the American public. Nearly two-thirds of 2024 Democratic voters and 20% of Republicans support his impeachment, according to data from The POLITICO Poll released earlier this month. Even 18% of MAGA Republicans say they favor Hegseth’s ouster.
The Pentagon and the White House both defended Hegseth and his tenure in statements to POLITICO.
"Hakeem Jeffries cheered on Joe Biden as he prioritized DEI and woke ideology at the Pentagon," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement. "Secretary Hegseth is doing a great job leading the Pentagon — and the results of Operations Epic Fury, Absolute Resolve, and Midnight Hammer [speak] for themselves."
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the department is "solely focused on Peace Through Strength and ensuring our warfighters have everything they need to be successful."
Leo Shane III contributed to this report.
