Democrats, who on Tuesday won significant majorities in the House and Senate, said they plan to immediately vote to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and will also seek to oust Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become the next House speaker, said his party will “visit accountability” on the Trump White House beginning with the ouster of Mr. Hegseth.
Mr. Jeffries, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” said he’s a “hard yes” on the Hegseth impeachment resolution slated to come up for a vote as soon as this week.
People were interested in these podcasts
Democrats are also planning aggressive investigations into President Trump’s staff and his family.
“We are going to visit accountability on the wrongdoers,” Mr. Jeffries, of New York, said. “There is a cost to corruption,” Mr. Jeffries said. “Our view has been if you’ve got folks out there who have been shortchanging the American people, screwing over the American people, or stealing from the American people, they need to be held accountable in a manner consistent with Congress’s role constitutionally as a separate and co-equal branch of government and a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch.”
Mr. Kennedy’s job may also be on the line.
Democrat Annie Andrews, a South Carolina pediatrician who upset incumbent Republican Sen. Darline Graham on Nov. 4, said she wants to remove Mr. Kennedy, who has angered the party over his stance on vaccines and management of the Centers for Disease Control.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent and socialist who will chair the Health Education, Labor and Pensions Committee said Democrats may seek to remove Mr. Kennedy via impeachment in the House and a vote in the Senate.
“I am absolutely open to that,” Mr. Sanders said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “The bottom line is we need a secretary of HHS who is concerned about the health and well-being of our kids and all Americans and not involved in crazy conspiracy theories, so I’m open to all ideas from Dr. Andrews or anybody else.”
Mr. Sanders said he plans to summon Mr. Kennedy before his committee as soon as Democrats take back the gavel in January.
Mr. Hegseth’s impeachment appears imminent.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican and Trump antagonist ousted in his GOP primary earlier this year, plans to force a vote on Mr. Hegseth’s impeachment and the effort is likely to win at least some GOP support.
Democrats will back the resolution overwhelmingly, Mr. Jeffries said on Sunday.
He blamed Mr. Hegseth for the Iran war, which he said has caused the cost of living to skyrocket and has made the country less safe.
“I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution,” Mr. Jeffries said.
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.