U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has voiced support for impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as Democrats prepare to use their incoming Congressional majority to investigate President Donald Trump’s administration.
Jeffries appeared on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday to weigh in on the impeachment resolution expected in the coming days.
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“I’m all for the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said. “The so-called Secretary of Defense abused his power, undermined national security, and orchestrated this reckless and costly chosen war in Iran.”
The impeachment resolution was led by outgoing Republican congressman Thomas Massey of Kentucky, a vocal critic of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
“Pete Hegseth has to go,” Jeffries added. “I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution.”
Investigation into ‘unprecedented corruption’
Jeffries is poised to become the next speaker of the House following historic Democratic victories in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Both the House and Senate now have Democratic majorities, marking the biggest gains for left-wing parties in the House in more than half a century.
Democrats are expected to use their new parliamentary majority to launch an investigation into the Trump administration.
There are also concerns, expressed by Trump himself, that he and other senior administration officials could face impeachment.
In an interview Sunday, Jeffries said the Democratic majority would move “aggressively” in his first 100 days in office to address both affordability and “unprecedented corruption” under the Trump administration.
“We are committed to cleaning up messes wherever we find them,” Jeffries said. “It’s about Congress, it’s about the Supreme Court, it’s about this administration.”
The Republican Party currently holds the “trinity” of government, controlling both houses of Congress and the presidential office. The Supreme Court also boasts a conservative supermajority formed by three Trump appointees.
But the new Congress is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 3, and Democrats are expected to elect party leaders for both chambers in the coming weeks.
Rep. Robert Garcia formally announced his appointment as chairman of the House Oversight Committee in a letter to colleagues Thursday.
The committee is the chamber’s main investigative committee and has the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.
‘Very serious’ allegations
Garcia told CNN on Sunday that Stephen Miller’s influential role in the Trump administration merits investigation.
Miller, who was named White House chief of staff last week, has been closely associated with President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies since his first term in office.
“What we believe is that Stephen Miller is the architect of this horribly unjust policy that is happening across the country,” Garcia said, pointing to policies that separate immigrant families and accusations of abuses of due process.
“Stephen Miller is at the heart of key policy decisions within this administration and deserves scrutiny and investigation.”
Garcia also expressed interest in questioning businessman Elon Musk over his leadership in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal initiative that led to widespread federal workforce cuts at the start of President Trump’s second term.
DOGE also sought access to sensitive government data, including personal information of Americans.
“I think it’s very serious, especially what happened with DOGE, where federal employees may have lost their jobs as well and people’s data may have been compromised,” Garcia said.
Congressional committees have the power to hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and request documents, giving lawmakers a constitutional check on the executive branch.
The House can also impeach administration officials with a simple majority vote.
However, conviction and removal requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a high hurdle even if Democrats control the chamber.
Trump campaign also counterattacks
The White House quickly drew its own battle lines.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union that there could be an investigation into “threatening” comments made by Democratic lawmakers.
He added that he stands ready to fight Democratic efforts to investigate and impeach Trump officials.
“If that’s what this incoming leadership wants, we’re ready,” said Branch, President Trump’s former personal attorney. “If you work for this administration, you should have a lawyer, and that’s me.”
Meanwhile, Trump made similar remarks in a post on Truth Social on Saturday.
He called on the Justice Department to investigate the plan to label Democratic lawmakers “lazy people” who “should go to jail” and drag them before congressional committees.
“The threats Democrats are making against innocent Republican donors and members are completely unprecedented and completely illegal,” the president wrote.
