Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment as Congress returns to a 11 December deadline
Hakeem Jeffries declared himself “a hard yes” on impeaching Pete Hegseth, saying the defence secretary “engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran” and “has got to go”, as Congress returned for a lame-duck session with government funding expiring on 11 December. Thomas Massie intends to refile his eight-article resolution as early as Monday, forcing a vote within two legislative days. Mr Hegseth said: “We’re not worried about that.”
The 34-page resolution charges the secretary with waging war without congressional authorisation under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the strike on an Iranian school, the Caribbean boat strikes, the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his treatment of Senator Mark Kelly. “The question is whether he committed impeachable acts,” Mr Massie wrote. “And the answer is yes, eight times.” Republicans are uneasy but unconvinced: James Comer said “no one’s happy about Iran” while French Hill said that “doesn’t mean per se that he’s committed an impeachable offense”. Donald Trump has said he has “every intention” of keeping him. The wider agenda is heavy: Democrats will hold at least 255 House seats and as many as 56 in the Senate from January, the national debt passed $40tn in September against a $41.1tn ceiling, and the defence bill exceeds $1tn. The oversight war has begun early — Elizabeth Warren told the administration to “get ready for some investigations” and the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, replied that “there could be” counter-investigations of lawmakers, adding “I would be very worried if I was a member on that committee”. Watch the Democratic caucus meeting on Tuesday.