Representative Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has shifted his position to support impeaching President Donald Trump and is inclined to back proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The endorsement from Smith, who has represented Washington in the House since 1996 and sat through three previous presidential impeachments, makes him one of the most senior Democratic figures to advocate for such measures as the party looks toward midterm elections that could restore its House majority.
In May, Smith had declined to commit to impeachment, warning that previous congressional efforts had left their targets politically stronger. By October, however, he concluded that the political landscape and the administration’s actions had changed fundamentally. “Trump has become beyond dangerous. He is just completely out of control in what he says and how he is governing,” Smith said in an interview a week before the election, adding that lawmakers must act “even if it doesn’t succeed.”
Smith pointed to specific foreign policy and security developments as turning points, notably Trump’s posture toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, shifts in American support for Ukraine, and rising gasoline prices linked to conflict in the Middle East. If Democrats capture the House, Smith is in line to chair the Armed Services Committee, a position that would place him at the center of inquiries into the Pentagon’s management of the war with Iran, European defense strategy, and military operations in Latin America.
His willingness to embrace impeachment places him ahead of more cautious colleagues who favor prioritizing economic concerns or building an exhaustive investigative record before deciding on formal ouster proceedings. Interviews with more than two dozen congressional Democrats reveal a caucus united in the belief that Trump has engaged in conduct warranting impeachment, but divided over whether a new attempt is a practical use of legislative authority. Trump’s two prior impeachments, in 2019 and 2021, both resulted in Senate acquittals.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who managed Trump’s second impeachment trial, agreed that the president has committed impeachable offenses through unconstitutional military action and spending authority abuses, but distinguished between establishing grounds and launching a trial. “The question of whether he committed impeachable offenses and whether we are going to pursue impeachment are two different issues,” Raskin said.
Senator Adam Schiff of California, who led the prosecution during the first impeachment trial, cautioned that Democrats should wait to see the composition of the next Congress and what investigations uncover. While describing Trump’s conduct as likely impeachable, Schiff argued that the initial priority should be investigating corruption affecting household finances. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has similarly maintained an uncommitted stance, stating that Democrats have not ruled anything in or out.
Amid these broader party debates, some lawmakers view Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as a potentially more viable target for removal. Hegseth has faced intense scrutiny from both parties over his handling of the war with Iran, the removal of senior military officers, and a perceived lack of transparency regarding military objectives and costs. Trump has defended Hegseth as a “great warrior” in the face of mounting criticism.
Supporters of targeting the Defense Secretary suggest that congressional Republicans who would oppose impeaching the president might prove more willing to break with a cabinet official whose leadership has drawn internal unease. Raskin noted that cabinet proceedings are less likely to consume the entire legislative agenda or raise direct questions about overturning a presidential election result. Still, removing Hegseth would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, where even critical Republicans have not committed to supporting removal.
Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, an Armed Services Committee member and former impeachment manager, emphasized that extensive investigations into the Pentagon will proceed regardless of election outcomes, citing troop posture, fund management, and military leadership changes. While stopping short of making impeachment a mandatory prerequisite, Crow maintained that oversight tools must remain on the table. “If the goal is to get Pete Hegseth out of the Department of Defense to stop corruption, to erect some guardrails against this runaway, reckless administration, and to protect the country against the increased erratic and dangerous behavior of Donald Trump, then we have to look post-November what the Congress looks like,” Crow said. “Maybe impeachment is part of that. I wouldn’t hesitate to use that if that’s the right one.”
