U.S. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has introduced a resolution to impeach U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for the war against Iran, the alleged attack on a drug-smuggling vessel, and other violations of U.S. law.
Reading a House resolution Monday, the outgoing Kentucky lawmaker accused Hegseth of carrying out illegal orders and posing a threat to the Constitution.
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Massey introduced articles of impeachment as soon as the House opened its first session after the midterm elections. Democratic leaders vowed to investigate US President Donald Trump’s administration in Congress following overwhelming victories in both chambers.
Massey reintroduced eight articles of impeachment against the defense secretary, which he first introduced in September. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson avoided a vote in the then-Republican-led Congress by sending members home early.
Massey said at a news conference Monday that he would welcome votes from lawmakers who want to remove Hegseth from office, even if they haven’t read the details of the bill.
“I understand that some of them just want to see Hegseth go and vote for this,” he said. “We welcome their vote.”
He urged the defense secretary to resign before Democrats take control of Congress in January, and predicted the Democratic investigation would include testimony from senior administration officials about how the Pentagon had been run under Hegseth.
Mr Hegseth remained defiant, saying he welcomed the opportunity to defend his actions in parliament.
“There are a lot of politically motivated people who may have significant policy disagreements, but their disagreements come with success,” Hegseth told reporters on Monday. “If you want to litigate, we’ll be happy to litigate all day long” regarding military actions taken by the Trump administration, he added.
He is scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday.
Massey’s resolution alleges that Hegseth violated the Constitution by supporting the war against Iran without Congressional approval as required by the War Powers Resolution.
Hegseth has “cultivated a culture of war” that denies rules of engagement to the detriment of civilians, Massey claims. He cited the start of the US-Israel war in February, when the US bombed a school in Minab, Iran, killing more than 150 people, including about 120 children.
The resolution also claims that US attacks on drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean disregard mandatory security measures and amount to extrajudicial killings by Hegseth.
Other charges against Hegseth include abducting former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, suppressing free speech by restricting media access to the Pentagon, and waging an illegal war against the Houthis in Yemen.
Massey has frequently criticized the Trump administration, particularly the Iran war. His outspoken personality once drew the ire of Mr. Trump, who supported the rival Republican candidate who defeated Mr. Massey in the primary earlier this year.
A majority of 435 members of the House of Representatives would need to vote in favor of impeaching Hegseth. In that case, two-thirds of the 100 senators would need to vote to remove him from office.
The measure is unlikely to succeed in the current Republican-led Congress, but the pressure on Mr. Hegseth could increase once new Democrats take office in January after sweeping victories in the midterm elections.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who will become speaker in January, said over the weekend that he supported impeaching Hegseth.
“The so-called Secretary of Defense abused his power, undermined our national security, and orchestrated this reckless and costly chosen war in Iran,” Jeffries said.
Although Democrats hold a majority in the Senate, they are expected to gain about 54 seats in the Senate, falling short of the 67 votes needed to convict and remove Hegseth from office.
Massey is also seeking to impeach Hegseth, despite opposition from his own Republican Party, including key leaders like Johnson.
“We don’t impeach ministers for political gain or cheap tricks. I think this is what it is and I think everyone knows that,” Johnson told reporters.
Trump administration officials have balked at any attempt to impeach Hegseth, but they also acknowledged the deep unpopularity of the war against Iran, and some acknowledged that it would likely cost Republicans in the midterm elections.
“He’s guilty of two things: basically winning two wars,” President Trump said of Hegseth on Sunday. “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel together. And it’s very difficult to say, let’s impeach someone who did something like that.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also defended Mr. Hegseth, saying he had “done a good job” despite widespread criticism. Rubio also acknowledged that the Iran war was “necessary” but not “necessarily popular.”
