Rep.-elect Brad Lander (D-NY) hasn't been sworn in yet, and he's already talking about impeachment.
In a video clip circulating on X, the incoming New York Democrat was asked whether there's an appetite for impeachment proceedings against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or President Trump. Lander didn't hesitate — he named Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and FBI Director Kash Patel as targets.
"We can impeach Pete Hegseth and show those consequences for violating your oath of office," Lander said. When asked who else, he replied: "I got a big list."
"INCOMING DEM REP. BRAD LANDER (NY): 'We can impeach Pete Hegseth and show those consequences for violating your oath of office.' When asked who else: 'I got a big list.' Not even sworn in yet. This is what the New Democrat majority has planned." — @AndrewKolvet on X
Lander also said he wants "accountability" for the murders of people such as Alex Pretti and Renee Good, wants Democrats to get "at what ICE is doing," and wants to examine Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency's spending cuts. He has not detailed specific articles of impeachment against any of the three officials, and no impeachment resolutions have been introduced in the current Congress.
He's Not Alone
Lander's comments are part of a broader push by leading Democrats, according to The New York Times, which reported this week that Democrats are laying the groundwork for an aggressive oversight agenda. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said in an ABC News interview that he is a "hard yes" on impeaching Hegseth. During a CNN interview, Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) argued Trump should not be the first person impeached. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on CNN's "State of the Union" that the Justice Department would strongly defend any administration officials the House Oversight Committee moves to investigate or potentially impeach — including Hegseth and White House aide Stephen Miller, now promoted to chief of staff.
The Times also reported that Democrats, emboldened by sweeping midterm wins, have signaled plans to intensify their fight against the administration, with some of that effort potentially moving forward before the new class of freshman lawmakers is sworn in. Democrats have clinched 254 House seats so far, per the Times, three shy of tying the high-water mark for either party this century. Some competitive House races remain undecided, and a recount fight is ongoing in Georgia.
What This Means
Impeachment talk is cheap — and the incoming House Democrat majority has a choice to make. Jeffries, poised to become speaker, has told ABC News he is a "hard yes" on impeaching Hegseth. Lander is calling out three cabinet officials on day one, before he's cast a single vote. The question is whether this becomes a legislative priority or a fundraising pitch.
If it's the former, it will collide with the reality that impeachment requires actual evidence and a Senate that has not shown any inclination to convict. If it's the latter, it tells voters exactly what the new majority plans to spend its time on: not inflation, not the border, not energy prices — but punishing the administration through an oversight process that Congress can't actually deliver.
Our Take
Brad Lander has been in office for zero days and he's already got a list. Not a list of bills, not a list of border security measures, not a list of inflation relief for New Yorkers paying too much for groceries — a list of people to impeach. He wants to investigate ICE, cut back on DOGE, and go after Kash Patel at the FBI.
Notice what's missing from Lander's Tuesday-to-Friday job description: the actual work of representing the voters who elected him. His district wants safer streets, lower taxes, and a border that's actually a border. Instead they got a Twitter clip before he's sworn in.
This is what the Democrats have been telling donors behind closed doors and telling voters out loud since the midterms. They aren't running on a platform. They're running on a purge list. And Lander's list only has Hegseth, RFK Jr., and Patel on it so far — but he's promised it's bigger.
The next two years will be defined by whether Lander and his colleagues spend their time governing or investigating. New Yorkers should ask him which one they voted for.
