Rep. Jeffries seems to hint that Democrats are ready to impeach SecWar Pete Hegseth
Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Minority Leader, seemed to clearly suggest in a recent interview that House Democrats would likely pursue impeachment proceedings against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. This could only happen if Republicans lose the House majority next week.
by Summer Lane | October 26, 2026
With midterm Election Day just one week away, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) hinted this week that Democrats will likely move to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth almost immediately if Republicans lose the majority.
“…We’re going to hold him accountable, in the same way that we held Pam Bondi and Kristi Noem accountable,” Jeffries said of Hegseth, while speaking to MS Now.
Jeffries said that Hegseth needed to be “pushed aside” by President Trump “or we’re going to have to deal with that situation if he is not.”
During the interview, Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-Ky.) articles of impeachment were mentioned. Massie brought the impeachment resolution to the House floor in September, before lawmakers recessed for the fall. House representatives are not scheduled to return to Capitol Hill until after the midterm elections.
“Well, we haven’t had an opportunity to talk about it because it was short-circuited when Speaker Johnson and House Republicans literally ran out of town so that they didn’t have to take up that resolution that was brought by a Republican member from Kentucky,” Jeffries said.
He was then asked if he was “inclined” to support Hegseth’s impeachment.
“What I’m inclined to do is to act consistently with what I’ve said relative to Pete Hegseth, from the very beginning,” Jeffries replied, somewhat vaguely. “I called for Pete Hegseth to be fired by Donald Trump in the spring of 2025. He is deeply unqualified.”
Rep. Massie’s resolution includes eight articles of impeachment, which accuse Hegseth of “unconstitutional and illegal actions” regarding the war in Iran, as well as the secretary’s actions to attack drug traffickers, to execute a mission in Venezuela (January 2025) and to wage war in Yemen via Operation Rough Rider.
“By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” said Rep. Massie in a statement at the time.
He continued, “Secretary Hegseth’s constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran. He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech.”
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche decried the move last month, praising Hegseth for doing a “phenomenal job – the Secretary of War doesn’t just go off and do things, he follows the law.”
Photo: Adobe Stock
