Jeffries says he is a “hard yes” on a Republican congressman’s resolution to impeach Hegseth

Created: 2026-11-09T06:38:40-05:00 (America/New_York)
Last updated: 2026-11-09T06:38:40-05:00 (America/New_York)

Of 61 headlines, 44 named Jeffries and 4 named Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican whose resolution it is. None mentioned the two-thirds Senate vote needed to remove him.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday, Nov. 8, on ABC’s “This Week” that he supports a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The resolution is being pushed by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has said he will file it as early as Monday. It has eight articles and says Hegseth made war on Iran without the congressional authorization required by the War Powers Resolution (BBC). The House returns this week for its lame-duck session, and Roll Call reports that it is expected to take up the resolution.

What the record shows

• Jeffries’s words: “I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. … Pete Hegseth has got to go” (ABC “This Week,” via NBC News and Roll Call). Asked whether all House Democrats would vote yes, he said they would “have that conversation Tuesday morning” (NBC News).
• Whose resolution it is: Massie, a Republican who is leaving Congress, has been a vocal critic of Hegseth and the Iran war. He first filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth in September. NBC reported that Republican leaders then canceled planned votes and the House left early, which pushed the vote past the election. Massie told CQ Roll Call in late October that the resolution would come up in the first week of the lame-duck session.
• Who controls the House now: Republicans hold the majority through this lame-duck session. Democrats take control in January after last week’s midterms, and Jeffries is expected to become speaker (BBC; Roll Call).
• Republican votes: Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., who on Sunday called Stephen Miller’s promotion a mistake, said he would not vote to impeach Hegseth: “President Trump is the commander in chief so that would be up to President Trump if he wanted to let him go” (IndyStar).
• The president’s position: Asked by 60 Minutes whether he has confidence in Hegseth, Trump said, “I do,” and pointed to Venezuela and Iran. Asked whether he credits Hegseth, he said, “No. But he was a part of it” (CBS transcript, interview taped Nov. 6).
• What removal takes: The House can impeach by a simple majority. Removal requires conviction by two-thirds of the senators present (U.S. Constitution, Art. I, Sec. 3).
• Earlier coverage: TMN covered Trump’s Nov. 5 defense of Hegseth amid reports that advisers were weighing his future: Trump says Hegseth is doing ‘a very good job’.

How we counted: Google News search for Hegseth, impeachment and Jeffries, Nov. 8–9, duplicates removed by outlet and title, keeping headlines that named Hegseth. That gave 61 headlines. 44 named Jeffries; 19 used “hard yes”; 15 mentioned Democrats; 7 mentioned Iran; 5 mentioned Trump defending Hegseth; 4 named Massie; 1 (Newsweek) called the effort Republican-led; 1 mentioned the lame duck; none mentioned the Senate or a two-thirds vote. The BBC version was No. 2 on the signed-out Google News Top feed this morning, and the scout’s clusters No. 3 and No. 4 were both Jeffries items. Deadline’s John Oliver segment on Hegseth was No. 2 on the U.S. feed.

The headlines made it Jeffries’s impeachment. The resolution is Massie’s, and he filed it before the election, when Republican leaders kept it from a vote. That matters for the vote count. Republicans still run the House this month, so the measure needs Republican votes to pass. A Republican author also makes it harder to call this a party-line Democratic move. Few headlines noted either point, and none mentioned the Senate, where conviction requires a two-thirds vote.

What questions the legacy media missed

• How many Republicans are with Massie? Stutzman, a critic of the Miller promotion, says no. A whip count is TBD.
• What are the eight articles? The BBC summarized them as war without authorization under the War Powers Resolution. The text of the refiled resolution was not posted as of this morning.
• Then what? If the House impeaches, conviction requires two-thirds of the Senate. Whether a trial would come in this Senate or the next one is TBD.
• Why now and not in September? NBC reported that Republican leaders canceled the planned votes. Few headlines mentioned that earlier attempt.

Primary sources

• NBC News (Nov. 8): Jeffries on ABC’s “This Week,” full quote; September history
• Roll Call (Nov. 9): lame-duck week ahead; Massie timing
• BBC: eight articles; War Powers Resolution
• IndyStar (Nov. 8): Stutzman will not vote to impeach Hegseth
• CBS News / 60 Minutes transcript: Trump on Hegseth

How outlets framed it

Outlet headlines from today’s scout and searches — their words, not ours.

• BBC: “Top House Democrat ‘a hard yes’ on impeaching Hegseth”
• ABC News: “‘I’m a hard yes’: Hakeem Jeffries announces support for Hegseth impeachment”
• The Washington Post: “Top House Democrat says he’s a ‘hard yes’ on Pete Hegseth impeachment”
• The New York Times: “Jeffries Backs Impeaching Hegseth as Democrats Push for Accountability”
• The Guardian: “Hakeem Jeffries supports impeachment of Pete Hegseth: ‘He has got to go’”
• Bloomberg: “Hegseth Impeachment Backed by Democratic Leader Jeffries”
• Al Jazeera: “Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment as Democrats vow probes of Trump allies”
• Newsweek: “Jeffries Backs Republican-Led Hegseth Impeachment Effort: He’s ‘Got to Go’”
• Washington Examiner: “Jeffries a ‘hard yes’ on Hegseth impeachment ahead of expected Massie resolution”
• New York Post: “Hakeem Jeffries gloats that he’s a ‘hard yes’ on another impeachment”