Rep. Thomas Massie reintroduces impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie has filed a resolution charging Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with eight counts of high crimes and misdemeanors, prompting a House vote within two days.
Rep. Thomas Massie has reintroduced a resolution that seeks to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, scheduling a House vote within the next two days. The resolution lists eight specific charges, including three accusations of illegally waging war against Iran and one charge of illegal war against Yemen, both alleged to violate the War Powers Resolution. Additional counts allege violations of laws intended to limit civilian casualties, oversight of extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, suppression of free speech related to a video by Sen. Mark Kelly, and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional authorization.
Hegseth responded in a Pentagon-released video, dismissing the effort as “sham articles of impeachment” and stating, \"Didn't work against President Trump and it won't work with me.\"
President Trump, speaking to reporters at an impromptu briefing, said he will stand by Hegseth, adding, \"He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won.\"
Massie, a long-time critic of Hegseth, described impeachment as essentially a firing, noting that it does not carry criminal penalties. He argued the move highlights the unresolved question of congressional war powers, which he said have been largely ignored by presidents of both parties.
The resolution was previously stalled before the midterm elections, leading Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to call an early recess to avoid a vote. The measure expired and was refiled on Monday. Prospective House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has indicated support for an impeachment push.
Republican Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio., cautioned that impeaching Hegseth would be hypocritical, noting that past administrations have similarly bypassed the War Powers Resolution. He suggested that legislators seeking policy changes should use budgetary controls rather than impeachment.
Even if the House were to approve the articles, the Senate would need a two-thirds majority to convict and remove Hegseth, a threshold that analysts consider unlikely to be met.