Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment as Democrats vow probes of Trump allies

United States House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has thrown his support behind impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as the Democratic Party prepares to use its incoming congressional majorities to probe President Donald Trump’s administration. In a Sunday appearance on the Television show This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Jeffries weighed in on the upcoming impeachment resolution, anticipated for the coming days. “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said. “The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran.” The impeachment resolution has been spearheaded by outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal critic of the US-Israel war on Iran . “Pete Hegseth has got to go,” Jeffries added. “I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution.” Jeffries is poised to become the next speaker in the House of Representatives after Democrats notched a historic victory in the November 3 midterm elections. Both the House and the Senate flipped into Democratic control, with the left-wing party making some of its biggest gains in the lower chamber in more than half a century. Democrats are expected to use their new congressional majorities to launch investigations into the Trump administration. There have also been concerns, voiced by Trump himself, that he and other top officials could face impeachment. In Sunday’s interview, Jeffries said the Democratic majority would move “aggressively” in its first 100 days in office, both to address affordability and “unprecedented corruption” under Trump. “We are committed to cleaning up the mess wherever it’s found,” Jeffries said. “That’s in Congress, in the Supreme Court, and with respect to this administration.” Currently, Republicans hold a government “trifecta”, with control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency. The Supreme Court also boasts a conservative supermajority, shaped by three Trump appointees. But a new Congress will be sworn in on January 3. Miller, who was named last week as White House chief of staff, has been closely associated with Trump’s hardline immigration policies since his first term as president. “What we think is that Stephen Miller is the architect of this horrific, unjust policy happening across the country,” Garcia said, pointing to policies of separating immigrant families and accusations of due process abuses. “Stephen Miller is at the centre of major policy decisions that are happening in the administration, and it does deserve oversight and investigation.” Garcia also signalled 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 Trump’s second term. Conviction and removal, however, require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a high bar even with Democrats controlling the chamber.