Hakeem Jeffries Faces Backlash After 11 Democrats Miss Crucial Vote

Eleven Democrats failed to show up for a vote to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth. This absence caused the effort to fail by a count of 211 to 204, according to Breitbart. The missing members included big names like Nancy Pelosi and Lou Correa, leaving Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries with a major problem.

Some members blamed traffic or medical issues for their late arrival. Rep. Jonathan Jackson claimed a police-escorted bus caused a delay that kept him from the chamber, per Breitbart. Yet reporters saw him at the Capitol just minutes before the vote closed.

A Leadership Crisis Unfolds

The snafu has turned the Democratic base against their own leaders. A Democrat named Fred Trump III, who is President Donald Trump’s nephew, shared on X that he could reconsider backing Jeffries. He wrote, “Eleven Democrats do not show up? All Republicans vote it down,” per Fox News.

Progressive journalist David Schuster called the absences a “Hakeem leadership problem” in a post on X. He noted that losing the vote reveals a failure to command the House majority. This blunder undermines the party’s claim to be ready for power.

Excuses That Do Not Add Up

Rep. Jonathan Jackson told TMZ he “can’t wait” to impeach Hegseth before missing the vote entirely. He later admitted to reporter Charlie Cotton that the traffic story was a “mistake.” Cotton argued the jam was “nonsense” because Jackson could have made it.

Other members offered different stories to explain their absence. Lou Correa said he had a medical procedure, while Steven Horsford claimed a “family emergency.” Rep. Brittany Pettersen stated she was simply “denied the ability to vote” because she arrived too late, per Breitbart.

Threats Inside the Party

While the vote failed, a new drama is brewing over who leads the party. Rep. Don Leonard, who is incoming, claims senior Democrats warned they would turn his life into a “living hell” unless he voted for Jeffries. Leonard told TMZ that the consequences could involve losing committee assignments.

He said the party expects members to “wear the team jersey” and be a “good team player.” Leonard called the approach a lack of “little D democracy” and said he was just a stubborn “SOB,” per RedState. This internal fighting suggests the party is more concerned with loyalty than policy.