Jeffries says not to expect Democrats to pursue Hegseth impeachment over boat strikes
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/01/jeffries-hegseth-impeach-venezuela-drug-boatsOpen linkView original on lemmy.world341
Comments116https://www.axios.com/2025/12/01/jeffries-hegseth-impeach-venezuela-drug-boatsOpen linkView original on lemmy.world
It's not up to politicians to tell people what to expect of them. The people are the ones who tell the politicians what is expected of them.
This IS the point. We The People have to force them to do the right thing, a.k.a. our Right to Petition our representatives for a redress of our grievances. Get on the phone, email, snail mail, text message, and don't let up.
"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.
I always prefer to let others make their own decisions, rather than pre-guessing them. Let the GOPers have the opportunity to defend their lack of prosecution of war crimes. And then the DEMs can make a talking point of that GOP decision.
Exactly why dem's struggle so much. Go on every damn tv station that will let you... get on every damn podcast you can... scream from the rooftops "HEY WE WANT TO PUNISH THIS ILLEGAL SHIT and they don't want us to. Force them on the defensive.... their base is already turning on them. We're watching districts flip in real time, show the american people what you are trying to do, so we can actually help you do it.
Almost every media outlet is controlled by the same corrupt billionaires who are getting fatter off the Trump presidency.
Screaming from the rooftops won't do shit.
Then make them.
lol
Jeffries says Democrats will disappoint you exactly as you expected they would.
Then Jeffries should not expect to be reelected next year.
More people need to get this. Obama and Biden conducted airstrikes with the exact same expectations and the exact same "unlawful combatant" policy allowing us to ignore the Geneva conventions.
I guarantee anyone reading this that the guy calling these strikes has done the same thing his entire career. If they want to change that policy then go for it. But don't expect anyone to be prosecuted over doing it before that.
I've been saying that the whole investigation thing is a nothing burger because to credibly go after Trump Democrats would also have to go after Obama.
It's also why both parties support Israel and neither will condemn their treatment of Palestinians. It's too easy to pivot the conversation to what the US has done for the past 25 years in the Middle East. In both cases a horrible terrorist attach led to an incredibly violent over-reaction.
I think that's easier than self investigation though. We can always fend that off by calling it whataboutism. In fact that's exactly how we handle calling out Chinese and Iranian abuses. Israel quite simply has a loyal voting block in the US that our politicians are afraid of. They don't run the country or any of that conspiracy crap but they are incredibly active in defending Israel.
don’t worry, nobody had or has the expectation of Democrats doing anything even remotely beneficial to the people and country. stress less.
Primary them all, starting with this useless fuck.
Pussy.
Pussies. This cowardly decision was not reached in a vacuum.
Don't worry I don't expect Democrats to do anything even vaguely resembling vertebrate work. Just keep inching along, you worms, and get replaced by a functional, good government.
The only way the Untied States is getting a functional government and justice system is if there's a revolution
Probably a typo, but accurate nonetheless.
It's not a typo. I've been intentionally calling it that online for months. It rarely seems to be noticed
I always liked United Snakes.
Untied Snakes, perhaps?
Untying a snake just makes it more effective at snakery
That's how you trip and fall. Make sure those snakes are tied tightly!
While I agree many if not most need to go, when the guy was asked if they would file impeachment articles, his response was basically there is no way the Republicans are going to vote on it so their is no point. Which is true. The Republicans would see a successful impeachment of Hegseth as a fracture that would allow all Republicans to have to answer for their crimes eventually. They'll shit on every single one of their constituents wants before they do that.
Shit I don't know if Johnson would even let it come to a vote
Okay, but that is very different from not persueing an impeachment. Sometimes you do something, just to create a forum.
Giving up before you begin is always a losing move.
Always a democrat move.
Which was why the shutdown was such a shock, and got so much support because people were happy democrats were actually finally taking the thumbs out of their asses and doing something.
Of course, if a democrat wont give up before beginning, they'll always give in after starting.
They're not even going to try.
This is a perfect example of something you can use in a "both parties are the same" argument.
That argument favors the Right.
Every Dem candidate since 1980 has pushed pretty much the same agenda s Jimmy Carter.
Every GOP candidate since 1980 has been further and further Right.
NAFTA? Welfare “reform”? Obamacare?
That last one was literally a plan from the Heritage Institute.
Democrats are the more effective evil. Or they were, until recently.
Remind me why Hegseth hasn't been arrested for murder
Republicans who are pro-life and Democrats who are too cowardly to do the right or honestly anything.
Same reason Obama and Biden weren't. American law doesn't punish people that powerful.
Don't worry, Hakeem, we weren't expecting you or the democrats to do anything helpful.
I can only assume this means Jefferies thinks state sanctioned murder is permissable enough to not lose your job over. Which is a really dumb stance for someone way more likely to be a target of state sanctioned murder than a benefactor of it. Would anyone who excoriated us for criticizing Jefferies and the Dems inaction about kicking him out like to speak up today and continue defending him?
Of course we don't expect it. That would require the Democrats to be something other than worthless sacks of shit (with a few vanishingly rare exceptions).
With every stroke...
"we've tried nothing and we're totally out of ideas"
Then close the investigation since there's no fucking point when you admit upfront you don't intend to do anything with the result.
Fucking excuse me?
Hakeem Jeffries is fucking useless. He needs to be primaried.
Oh man, Classic Dem move. One of the absolute greats. So glad I have to vote for them or else.
But you do still have to vote for "no backbone" over "actively trying to kill you and the ones you love"
And I also have to accept that this is literally the best we can do as a nation.
Fuck this shithole country.
It is hard to summon the will to vote nationally.
Which is why I vote for third party/independent. The act of doing what no one else is doing has a certain allure, and gets me to the voting booth.
Ok but you're going to the voting booth to their away your time energy and money, you actually may as well just stay home instead
And pass up the chance of doing what no one else is doing? I think not.
Heaters are gonna hate but the only way to get a third party in office is, wait for it, vote for them...
I remember seeing the perfect analogy, it was something along the lines of:
Voting third party without doing any of the work having a third party requires is like trying to add a door to your house by walking into the wall where you would like a door to be.
To be clear, I am not happy with this TWO party democracy we have.
Current clutch of Dems are useless cunts.
The Democratic party is a neo-liberal party, this is not something they oppose further than rhetoric to pacify the population, they are supportive of these war crimes and the potential colonial war on South America. Remember Obama's drone strikes that liberals hate to acknowledge.
The Democratic party uses leftist rhetoric to pacify and squash leftist revolution, they are not on your side.
Well knock me down with a feather, Dems don't give a fuck about extrajudicial killings, I may die of surprise.
Of course not, that would require a spine
And this is why I have no faith in Democrats. When it comes time for the fundraiser they are all red alert sound the alarm Trump is destroying our country, when it comes time to actually fucking DO anything it's excuses and business as usual.
If the guy literally did order a war crime, then file the fucking paperwork and dare the Republicans to quash it. Make sure that every one of them who fights against this does so publicly, on the record. Make sure they know that if/when the truth comes out, be it tomorrow or years down the road, their vote today will be known to the world. And they can bet their asses that 'senator whatever chose not to investigate war crimes' Will be part of their opponents' campaigns.
He did.
What the fuck is the literal point of this guy.
To fend of left wing populism as right wing populism takes root.
Honesty is the best policy! Thanks you piece of shit!
We do, though. Don't expect reelection.
At this point, I expect nothing but total compliance with the Republican agenda from the Democrats.
"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”
Headline should read instead
TRUMP CAN THREATEN REPUBLICANS TO PREVENT ALL ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
You know, like how the Indiana congressmen got swatted and threatened into redistricting early
When you put it like that it's extra pathetic that Democrats are so spineless on this.
Im not satisfied with democrats response to Trump but I’m genuinely curious what you want them to do here?
Do you want to see every articles of impeachment fail every time they’re introduced while republicans hold both houses?
Do you think that will leave democrats in a stronger position if they fail to impeach anyone over and over?
Every article of impeachment fail? How about a just having single article of impeachment failing? How about now shying away from being on the record to point out that murder isn't right? How about not being a bunch of cowards for once and get into the mosh pit and throw down for once instead of telling the world they're not even going to try because it's just too hard.
Do I think that Democrats would be in a stronger position? Hell yes I do because recent polls show that Americans best word to describe them is WEAK and doing something, anything against something as egregious as war crime would help them not be seen, and rightly so, as pathetically weak.
Well I think if democrats failed to impeach anyone they would look even weaker and I’m pretty sure the public at large would also think so
It’s not merely “too hard” it’s literally impossible to impeach Trump when republicans physically control both houses of congress
I'm so sick of this argument. Fucking let it fail. Then do it again. And again. Fucking do something! At least show us that you are trying!
"Why would we ever attempt to hold administration officials accountable? So he did some war crimes. Big deal! Doing something about it would tank our popularity among people who would never in a million years vote for us anyway! Besides, we might scare off billionaire donors!"
Fucking called it. Even if they had some amount of spine, seriously pursuing this would require them to be willing to throw Obama under the bus and that's just not happening.
The narrative here is that the people committing war crimes are also sending soldiers to your city.
It doesn't matter if impeachment works. It needs to be said.
Feckless, spineless cowards, the lot of them.
Yeah, no shit that the Republicans will shoot it down, block it, never let it see the light of day. But at this point, it's not about whether or not it will pass or even get looked at. It's about putting it on the record that they tried. So that in the future, when historians are writing about the U.S.'s descent into fascism, they can also be aware of the efforts that were put forth to stop it, even if it was futile.
What they can do in the present is this: waste their time. Waste their time having to look over the proceedings, and then waste some more of their time with the press asking them why they're blocking it. Gum up the gears. Do something.
Of course not. He's a worthless hollow shell of a person with no real beliefs of his own and his corporate masters want this.
He should be thrown out of leadership.
Guess what?
AOC or Omar wouldn't do it either.
If they do it, the GOP will just point out that Obama did the same thing and we get caught up in a big fight that the GOP will win on points.
Yes, the system is shitty. It's the one we have, so it's a good idea to learn how it works.
Anyone defending Obama's own warcriming can fuck off to the other side of the sun, so sure.
If you're going to put words in my mouth, please order some chips and salsa.
If you just want to live in a fantasy world where Progressives control the government, go ahead, but leave me out of your private wonderland.
If you want to talk actual strategy and tactics, I'm here.
My point is: Anyone who's going to enter the "Obama is a war criminal" fight on the side of Obama can fuck off. Besides being morally reprehensible, those people are a liability anyway. These are your Schumers and Hillaries, and their inclusion does nothing but hold back progress.
By that logic we should throw Mamdani out because he didn't strangle Trump in the Oval Office. Instead, he did the smart thing and acted like a gentleman. Also, Mamdani got a little over 50% of the vote running against a molester and an idiot.
And the millions of voters who'd happily give Obama a third term are a 'hindrance?'
You live in a fantasy world where there are millions and millions of Progressive voters who have sat out every single primary and general election waiting for the perfect candidate to appear.
You know what's better than pursuing justice?
NOTHING! Get over yourselves and protect the fucking country!!!
Can we send him on a one-way mission to the Hague, tho?
If you expected otherwise, I have a bridge for sale.
We really need to stop electing people who think following the law is optional.
Not only that, Trump thinks it's illegal to say that the military is expected to follow the law
Was this the 'brave' man who was hiding in that picture with the Bibi war criminal?
Controlled opposition.
Of course we won't expect.it, because they're a bunch of passive, fearful Clitty McLabiasteins who care only about their jobs.
Jeffries gotta gtfo
Spineless bitch.
At least he’s honest about it. Maybe he should hang out with Shumer some more.
Expect a strongly worded letter soon Hegseth
Guess you don't want me to vote for your party then? maybe we let the Chaos Reign for another 4 years.
OK there JeffREies.
Pete Hegseths a fuckin' douch
With Democratic leadership like this you may as well vote Green or PSL.
Americans are enemy of humanity. right or left. your culture is one of arrogance and evil ego.
Yup, generalizations like that are sure to win the hearts and minds of others.
Thanks
Any time.
I expect Democrats to pursue Hegseth over the boat strikes.
I don't expect Jefferies to, because he isn't a Democrat, he's a a Republican with a D next to his name.
By that standard I suspect you'll run out of real Democrats pretty fast. The Democratic Party leadership is made up mostly of Jeffries and Schumers.
It is indeed, which is why progressives are getting a lot of local wins. At this point the hope seems to be bottom-up change, because top-down isn't happening.
Lol, no. He's a Democrat.
It's frustrating, but I get it. As he even pointed out, with full Republican control there's no way this ever sees the light of day. There's no reason to pursue something that has literally 0 chance of going anywhere. Hell even my initial thought was "even if they did try, Republicans would just laugh and move on"
The only thing they can realistically do is bitch about it during every media interaction possible.
Such a impassioned argument in defense of cowardice.
Who cares if it will get shot down? This is the opportunity to get in front of the American people and make the case that Republicans are immoral and show that the party has the morals to do the right thing even if you don't get the outcome you want, that you're willing to fight for the morals of the people who elected you.
Which, once again, clearly Democrats are never willing to do because they're cowards.
It's not even that it gets shot down, the Republicans decide what even gets a vote when they're in control as they are. There's no record to be had, it's just "I'm bringing up articles of impeachment to a vote" and Johnson says "no you aren't, fuck your impeachment. No vote will be had."
I'm not defending cowardice, it's just a literal impossible task that has no visible outcome at all. There won't be a record because there won't be a vote at all.
Make them vote on it, even if it won't pass having recorded votes of who supports war crimes is value in itself
I'm not sure why people want him to humiliate Democrats by trying something doomed to failure. Hegseth can't be impeached successfully unless multiple Republicans support doing so.
Then they should be publicly arguing to convince the Republicans into supporting impeachment or else make them publicly support the war crimes. "Aww but it's hard and they'll probably vote it down." My guy, that's the fucking job. Make them risk reelection. Make them choose. Doing nothing just lets them do whatever they want. The impeachment might not go through, but it puts them on the record for supporting war crimes, and then you can use that in campaigns. And you can campaign as the party of accountability, even when the odds are stacked against you.
If you're not gonna play nice and you're not gonna play dirty, then you're just announcing that you're not gonna play, so it's time to fucking resign and let somebody else fight this fight. Fuck Jeffries and every spineless Democrat standing in the way of actual problem solvers while the country burns down.
Hear, hear! Thank you for posting this comment.
Humiliate…in who’s eyes? MAGA?
The humiliating act is the thing they are doing.
In the eyes of anyone who wants to elect pragmatists who don't tilt at windmills.
That's what I was thinking - they don't have a majority in the House (currently). And even if they did manage to drag some Rs with them on the vote, he wouldn't be convicted in the Senate, as there's nowhere close to the 2/3rds vote needed to remove him from his post.