In a climate where wins have been hard to come by, Democrats in Washington were able to go on offense amid outrage over the group chat on messaging app Signal in which top Trump officials discussed a U.S. military strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Democrats were able to confront some of those officials and call for resignations.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, Stephen Miller and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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“As the secretary of defense, I think it’s time for [Pete Hegseth] to either resign or be fired,” House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said in an interview with ABC News’ Linsey Davis on Wednesday.
In committee hearings on Capitol Hill, Democratic lawmaker after Democratic lawmaker challenged Trump administration officials with poster-sized images of text messages containing sensitive and possibly classified information about the strike. They questioned Trump administration intelligence leaders fiercely, admonishing their participation in the chat.
Signal app on a smartphone is seen on a mobile device screen, Mar. 25, 2025, in Chicago.
Kiichiro Sato/AP
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Thursday echoed calls from members of his caucus that Hegseth resign or be fired. He also was sure to highlight that Democrats in both chambers are putting up a fight against Republicans.
“Democrats, I think, showed fight in the Senate hearing Tuesday and in the House hearing on Wednesday. Our veterans have stood up to push back against this stunning national security breach,” Jeffries said. “That’s a fight that we’re in right now. Are we on the sidelines? Have we been silent about this scandal?”
Jeffries’ assertion that Democrats are fighting back against this administration in the face of this scandal comes as recent polling indicates that Democratic voters want the party to fight harder against Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington, Mar. 14, 2025.
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Despite the vociferous calls for accountability from Democratic lawmakers, the likelihood of real consequences for any of the Trump administration participants is small because Democrats would need Republican buy-in with GOP majorities in Congress. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he doesn’t think any additional investigation is necessary, and the bulk of his caucus will follow his lead. The White House will continue to try and move past it despite lawsuits against members of the administration.
What remains to be seen is if a fight by Democrats stymied by the realities of their minority status is enough to satisfy Democratic voters. Only time will tell if instances like this will be a boon to the party’s abysmal approval numbers or if its continued inability to effect change in Washington will keep Democratic supporters frustrated.
