Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment, says Pentagon chief 'has got to go'

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Sunday he will vote for a Republican-led resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He said he is firmly in favor and that the Pentagon chief must go ¹.

Jeffries spoke on ABC's This Week. His support lines up top House Democrats with Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, who plans to reintroduce a privileged impeachment resolution as early as Monday ¹. A privileged resolution is one that House leaders must act on quickly. Here, they must schedule action within two legislative days of its introduction on the floor ¹.

On tapeLiveNOW from FOX · Nov 6

▶8:14

What Jeffries said

Pete Hegseth has got to go.

Jeffries did not promise that every House Democrat will go along. He said the caucus will "have that conversation on Tuesday morning" when members return to Washington, but he expects "incredibly strong support" ¹.

What the resolution says

Massie first introduced an eight-article impeachment resolution against Hegseth in September ¹. Article I alleges Hegseth carried out unlawful orders that violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a law that limits a president's power to send troops into war without Congress ¹. Later articles cover civilian casualties, killings outside the law and other military operations ¹.

From Channel GOPHakeem Jeffries: Democrats take back the HouseHakeem Jeffries · 44 plays · captioned, with the source named

Massie will not be in Congress next term. He lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, according to one report ². In October he said he would bring the articles back during the lame-duck session, the stretch between the election and the new Congress ².

Hegseth and Trump respond

In a video last week, Hegseth called the effort political theater and said the articles were a sham ¹.

A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice

Newsweek reported that Trump has privately asked advisers whether Hegseth should stay ¹. In public, Trump said, "No, I think he's doing a very good job." The White House said he has "full confidence" in Hegseth ¹. Newsweek said it asked the Pentagon for comment Sunday ¹.

What happens next

The new Congress will not be sworn in until January, so any vote now happens under the Republican majority ¹. Democrats won both chambers on Tuesday, flipping at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House seats, Newsweek reported ¹.

Impeaching a Cabinet official takes a simple majority in the House. If any article passes, the Senate holds a trial, and removal takes a two-thirds vote of senators present ¹. If the House vote fails now, Democrats could renew impeachment or open investigations in January ¹.

That matters because the war in Iran, and the gas price increases tied to it, are thought by some Republicans to be a central reason for their losses ¹. In June, the House passed a war-powers resolution 215-208. Four Republicans joined Democrats: Massie, Warren Davidson, Tom Barrett and Brian Fitzpatrick ¹. That is the kind of cross-party margin an impeachment vote would need.

The Record

1. Jun 1, 2026The House passed a war-powers resolution on Iran, 215-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats; the report gave only the month ¹.
2. Sep 1, 2026Rep. Thomas Massie introduced an eight-article impeachment resolution against Hegseth; the report gave only the month ¹.
3. Oct 26, 2026Massie said he would reintroduce the articles when Congress returns after the midterms ².
4. Nov 8, 2026Jeffries said he is a 'hard yes' on the Hegseth resolution ¹.

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<h2>Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment, says Pentagon chief &#39;has got to go&#39;</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/jeffries-backs-hegseth-impeachment-says-pentagon-chief-has-got-to-go">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 8, 2026.</em></p> <p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Sunday he will vote for a Republican-led resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He said he is firmly in favor and that the Pentagon chief must go .</p> <p>Jeffries spoke on ABC&#39;s This Week. His support lines up top House Democrats with Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, who plans to reintroduce a privileged impeachment resolution as early as Monday . A privileged resolution is one that House leaders must act on quickly. Here, they must schedule action within two legislative days of its introduction on the floor .</p> <h2>What Jeffries said</h2> <blockquote><p>Pete Hegseth has got to go.</p><p>&mdash; Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader, D-New York</p></blockquote> <p>Jeffries did not promise that every House Democrat will go along. He said the caucus will &quot;have that conversation on Tuesday morning&quot; when members return to Washington, but he expects &quot;incredibly strong support&quot; .</p> <h2>What the resolution says</h2> <p>Massie first introduced an eight-article impeachment resolution against Hegseth in September . Article I alleges Hegseth carried out unlawful orders that violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a law that limits a president&#39;s power to send troops into war without Congress . Later articles cover civilian casualties, killings outside the law and other military operations .</p> <p>Massie will not be in Congress next term. He lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, according to one report . In October he said he would bring the articles back during the lame-duck session, the stretch between the election and the new Congress .</p> <h2>Hegseth and Trump respond</h2> <p>In a video last week, Hegseth called the effort political theater and said the articles were a sham .</p> <blockquote><p>A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice</p><p>&mdash; Pete Hegseth, Defense Secretary</p></blockquote> <p>Newsweek reported that Trump has privately asked advisers whether Hegseth should stay . In public, Trump said, &quot;No, I think he&#39;s doing a very good job.&quot; The White House said he has &quot;full confidence&quot; in Hegseth . Newsweek said it asked the Pentagon for comment Sunday .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>The new Congress will not be sworn in until January, so any vote now happens under the Republican majority . Democrats won both chambers on Tuesday, flipping at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House seats, Newsweek reported .</p> <p>Impeaching a Cabinet official takes a simple majority in the House. If any article passes, the Senate holds a trial, and removal takes a two-thirds vote of senators present . If the House vote fails now, Democrats could renew impeachment or open investigations in January .</p> <p>That matters because the war in Iran, and the gas price increases tied to it, are thought by some Republicans to be a central reason for their losses . In June, the House passed a war-powers resolution 215-208. Four Republicans joined Democrats: Massie, Warren Davidson, Tom Barrett and Brian Fitzpatrick . That is the kind of cross-party margin an impeachment vote would need.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/jeffries-backs-hegseth-impeachment-says-pentagon-chief-has-got-to-go">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/jeffries-backs-hegseth-impeachment-says-pentagon-chief-has-got-to-go.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Jeffries Backs Republican-Led Hegseth Impeachment Effort: He's 'Got to Go'” (2026-11-08). newsweek.com/jeffries-backs-republican-led-hegseth-impeachme
2. KATV / The National News Desk, “Massie says he will reintroduce impeachment articles against Hegseth after midterms” (2026-10-26). katv.com/news/nation-world/massie-says-he-will-reintroduce-i

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