Massie to Force House Vote on Impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
WASHINGTON — Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky will force a vote this week on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in the days after Republicans suffered historic midterm losses.
Massie, an anti-war Republican and one of Trump’s most outspoken critics in Congress, plans to reintroduce his impeachment resolution as a question of the privileges of the House when lawmakers return this week. Once he does, House leaders will have up to two legislative days to hold a vote — either on the articles themselves or on a motion to table them.
Eight Articles, Centred on the Iran War
The resolution contains eight articles of impeachment in a 34-page document that Massie first read on the House floor on September 15. Its central charge is that Hegseth waged the war in Iran without congressional authorization, violating the War Powers Resolution, and continued hostilities past its 60-day limit.
The articles also accuse Hegseth of launching lethal strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean without judicial authorization, conducting military strikes in Yemen, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid, and ignoring laws requiring the military to minimize civilian casualties.
Massie further accuses Hegseth of abusing his power by using a Pentagon investigation to retaliate against Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona.
“Hegseth has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States Armed Forces, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,” Massie wrote in the resolution.
A Vote Delayed Past the Election
Massie first sought a vote in September, but Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home early to avoid it until after the midterms.
The timing is significant. Massie lost his Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger and will leave Congress in January, giving him only the lame-duck session to pursue the effort. He has said he will drop the effort if Hegseth resigns first.
Some Republicans believe the resolution could pass. “I think there are enough Republicans who want him gone,” said Representative Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
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Democratic Leader Backs the Effort
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is likely to become the next speaker of the House after Democrats won control of Congress in the midterms, said on November 8 that he will support impeaching Hegseth.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said in an interview on ABC’s This Week. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
The effort comes days after Republicans’ historic midterm losses, which Trump and Vice President JD Vance have attributed to the Iran conflict and rising gas prices. Some Republicans have urged the White House to replace Hegseth before Democrats take control of Congress in January.
Hegseth and Trump Push Back
Hegseth has rejected the effort and vowed to fight it. In a video address on November 5, he called Massie a “disgruntled, defeated congressman” who joined with Democrats to drop “sham articles of impeachment against yours truly.”
Trump has also defended Hegseth and denounced the impeachment effort. “He’s guilty of two things: basically winning two wars,” Trump told reporters on November 8. “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined.”
What Happens Next
Even if the House votes to impeach Hegseth, removal is unlikely: a Senate trial would require a two-thirds majority to convict. If the vote goes ahead, he would be the first civilian defense chief to face a House impeachment vote since Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876.
The vote, expected as early as Wednesday, will put on full display the divisions within the Republican Party over the Iran war and the Pentagon’s leadership.
