Image provided by EPA/Reuters
Reporter Brandon Drennon (Washington, U.S.)
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (from New York), the leader of the U.S. opposition Democratic Party in the House of Representatives, said on the 8th that he "absolutely supports" the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
On ABC's "This Week," Jeffries accused Secretary Hegseth of "abusing his power, undermining national security, and orchestrating a reckless, costly, and spontaneous war in Iran."
Meanwhile, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a political opponent of President Donald Trump in the ruling Republican Party, said he plans to introduce a resolution containing articles of impeachment against Hegseth as early as the 9th. If the resolution passes, Hegseth could be removed from office. Rep. Massie, who lost to the candidate recommended by Mr. Trump in the Republican primary for the midterm elections on the 3rd of this month, is scheduled to retire at the end of his term in January next year.
The Pentagon told the BBC that the department follows the law and that Hegseth will not be deterred by a "sham investigation".
The Democratic Party won an overwhelming victory in the midterm elections held on the 3rd of this month, and is expected to take control of both houses of Congress next January. Jeffries, currently the top Democrat in the House, is widely expected to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"I absolutely support the Hegseth resolution," Jeffries told ABC on the 8th. "Pete Hegseth needs to stop."
Massey's resolution includes eight articles of impeachment against Secretary Hegseth, alleging that he launched a war against Iran without Congressional authorization under the War Powers Act of 1973.
On the 8th, President Trump defended Secretary Hegseth and refuted the Democratic Party's calls for his impeachment. "They're trying to impeach him (Hegseth). It's very unfair," he said on CBS News' "60 Minutes."
He further claimed, "We fought two wars and won both. We won Venezuela and we won Iran."
"It can't go well."
Majority Leader Jeffries vowed that Democrats, with new power in Congress, would act as checks and balances on the Trump administration.
However, he also said that House Democrats are not focused on impeaching Trump now after the midterm elections. Trump was impeached twice during his first term.
Hegseth released a nearly six-minute video last week urging Congress to approve the Pentagon's latest military budget request as the end of the Republican-controlled Congress approaches.
In the video, Hegseth refers to Rep. Massey's impeachment move, calling it a "fabricated article."
"So their policies aren't working, so they're obsessed with political performance under the guise of power and bent on destroying their political opponents," Hegseth said.
"This is all politics, personal attacks aimed at destroying political opponents. It didn't work for President Trump, and it won't work for me."
Impeachment is a procedure used by Congress to remove a public official, and it is rarely actually carried out. First, the House of Representatives votes on whether to impeach the person to the Senate. If passed, the Senate would hold an impeachment trial to determine whether the person is guilty.
Although the results of the midterm elections have not yet been determined, the Democratic Party has already secured 254 seats, more than a majority, in the House of Representatives (435 seats). This is far more than the 218 seats needed to pass articles of impeachment.
However, a two-thirds majority vote is required to convict and remove a person from office in a Senate impeachment trial. Although the Democratic Party has 54 seats in the Senate (consisting of 100), achieving a two-thirds majority would require cooperation from Republican members, making it politically difficult to remove him from office.
(English article Top House Democrat 'a hard yes' on impeaching Hegseth)
