Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment as Democrats vow probes

In the United States, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Al Jazeera, in a Sunday appearance on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Jeffries said he was a 'hard yes' on the impeachment resolution expected in the coming days. He argued that Hegseth had abused his power, undermined national security and engineered what he called a reckless and costly war of choice in Iran.

The resolution was spearheaded by outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a vocal critic of the US-Israel war on Iran. Jeffries said Hegseth 'has got to go' and expected incredibly strong support for the resolution.

Jeffries is preparing to become House speaker after Democrats won a historic victory in the November 3 midterm elections. Both chambers were preparing to flip to Democratic control, and the party made significant gains in the lower chamber in more than half a century.

Democrats are expected to use their new congressional majorities to investigate the Trump administration. Jeffries said the Democratic majority would move aggressively in its first 100 days, addressing affordability and what he called unprecedented corruption.

He said Congress, the Supreme Court and the administration all required scrutiny. The White House quickly responded. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on CNN's State of the Union that there could be investigations into Democratic lawmakers over their 'threatening' rhetoric, and that officials in the administration had a lawyer: himself.

The House can impeach an official with a simple majority vote. Conviction and removal, however, require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a high bar even with Democratic control of the chamber.

Currently, Republicans hold a government 'trifecta', with control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency. The Supreme Court also has a conservative supermajority shaped by three Trump appointees. A new Congress is set to be sworn in on January 3.

Congressional committees can hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and demand documents, giving lawmakers a constitutional check on the executive branch. The House Oversight Committee is its principal investigative panel.

Representative Robert Garcia, who announced his bid to lead the House Oversight Committee, said Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff, warranted investigation. Garcia also said Elon Musk's role in the Department of Government Efficiency warranted scrutiny.

The White House was quick to draw battle lines. Trump called on the Justice Department to investigate Democrats over plans to bring Trump allies before congressional committees, calling them 'SLEAZEBAGS' who 'should go to jail'.

Source: Al Jazeera.