Clyburn Calls for Impeaching Hegseth and Kennedy
Rep. James Clyburn said Congress should seek the impeachment of Pete Hegseth, who leads the Pentagon, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health and human services chief. He said Democrats should not pursue impeachment of President Donald Trump because he does not expect the Senate to reach the two-thirds majority needed to convict him.
Speaking on CNN’s Situation Room on November 6, the South Carolina Democrat tied his call to make administration officials answer for their actions to concerns about affordability and what he described as chaos, costs and corruption in Washington.
Asked directly whether Hegseth and Kennedy should be impeached, Clyburn answered yes. He said he believes senators are upset with Hegseth, citing what he called the removal of women from military leadership and the removal of African Americans. Clyburn did not identify specific impeachment charges in the comments described.
Clyburn Demands Accountability for Hegseth and Kennedy
Rep. James Clyburn put accountability for senior officials at the center of his argument, calling for impeachment proceedings against Pete Hegseth, who leads the Pentagon, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health and human services chief. He said Congress should focus on what he called chaos, rising costs and corruption in Washington.
On CNN’s Situation Room on November 6, Clyburn said he would not pursue impeaching President Donald Trump because he did not believe the Senate would secure the two-thirds majority required to convict. His position draws a distinction between demanding consequences for cabinet officials and spending effort on a presidential impeachment he considers unlikely to succeed.
Clyburn said senators were upset with Hegseth over what he described as removing women from military leadership and getting rid of African Americans. He did not specify impeachment charges. His call makes the conduct of the secretaries, and the Senate’s ability to hold them accountable, the immediate focus.
Clyburn Targets Trump Officials While Shelving Trump Impeachment
Rep. James Clyburn wants Congress to impeach two Trump administration secretaries while declining to pursue impeachment of the president. His explanation was practical: he does not expect the Senate to reach the two-thirds majority needed to convict Donald Trump, so he said that effort would waste time.
Speaking on CNN’s Situation Room on November 6, the South Carolina Democrat called for action against Pete Hegseth, who leads the Pentagon, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health and human services chief. He framed the push as a way to make officials answer for their actions amid what he called chaos, costs and corruption in Washington.
Clyburn cited Hegseth’s alleged removal of women from military leadership and of African Americans as reasons senators were upset with him. He did not lay out specific impeachment charges. The proposal therefore puts the secretaries, rather than Trump, in the crosshairs while Clyburn himself acknowledges the political arithmetic he says makes a presidential conviction unattainable.
