House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) signaled Monday that Democrats are unlikely to pursue impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth over alleged follow-up strikes against boats in the Caribbean.
Why it matters: Impeachment has been a fraught subject for Democrats this year, with Jeffries acknowledging that Republican control of both chambers of Congress makes any impeachment effort virtually dead on arrival.
- "Republicans will never allow articles of impeachment to be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives, and we know that's the case," Jeffries said at a press conference Monday.
- "Donald Trump will order them not to do it," he added.
Driving the news: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied Monday that Hegseth was the one who ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat on Sept. 2 to take out survivors of an earlier strike.
- The Washington Post reported last week thay Hegseth's directive in the operation was, in the words of one anonymous source, to "kill everybody," which led a military commander to order a second strike.
- Leavitt said Hegseth "authorized Admiral [Frank] Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes. He worked well within his authority and the law."
What they're saying: "The White House is lying, but that's no surprise," Jeffries said at his press conference when asked by Axios about Leavitt's comments.
- "It is my understanding that Pete Hegseth, the so-called secretary of defense, was absolutely involved. I think he may have even recently acknowledged that because the facts are incapable of being disputed."
- Jeffries reiterated his past call for Hegseth to resign voluntarily, saying he is "the most unqualified secretary of defense in American history."
What to watch: The top Republican and Democrat on both the House and Senate Armed Services committees have said they plan to vigorously investigate the reporting.
- Jeffries leaned on those probes as the alternative to impeachment, telling reporters: "What's on the table is a meaningful investigation which we can hope would be bipartisan."
