Democrat caught right outside Capitol during Hegseth impeachment vote… despite blaming traffic for absence

Detailed summary

Jonathan Jackson of Illinois was one of the nearly dozen Democrats whom, had they shown up, could have potentially gotten Hegseth on the first step to removal from the Pentagon.

Published: 06:19 GMT, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 06:59 GMT, 12 November 2026

One of the 11 Democrats who missed out on voting to impeach Pete Hegseth blamed a traffic jam for not being able to attend but was seen just outside the Capitol as the vote took place.

Jonathan Jackson of Illinois was one of the nearly dozen Democrats who, had they shown up, could have potentially gotten Hegseth on the first step to removal from the Pentagon.

Jackson said in a statement that he was heading to the floor to vote to impeach but 'a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus caused a delay that resulted in the vote closing' before he could arrive.

However, TMZ reported seeing Jackson 'right outside the Capitol with time to spare' on the night of the vote, witnessing him filming a social media video on the Capitol steps minutes before the vote closed.

When confronted by the outlet on Wednesday, Jackson still cited the traffic jam but called his absence 'inexcusable.'

He added that the Capitol steps become 'a very chaotic area' when Congress is in session.

'It's not making an excuse for it, I should've been able to make the vote, it was procedural,' he said.

Jackson also defended his record, saying he was the first member of Congress to call on Hegseth to resign.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Daily Mail. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.