A vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which could have come as early as Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives, will be avoided at least until after this year’s midterm elections. Republican leaders announced Wednesday that they would leave Washington a day earlier than planned.
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision shortens the already light legislative session by one day, leaving the House in session for just six days. The chamber is not scheduled to return to Washington until after the Nov. 3 election as lawmakers continue to campaign.
In announcing the schedule change, House leadership did not mention a vote to impeach Hegseth, but the plan was revealed Tuesday with a surprise move by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). But Massey and other lawmakers cited a potentially politically awkward vote to impeach Hegseth for unauthorized military actions in Iran.
“And that’s right. Just as I predicted. They’re going to cancel tomorrow’s Congress to avoid an impeachment vote against @SecWar,” Massey wrote on X.
“It will also be difficult to reach the 218 signatures on the Epstein removal petition before the election. Last night we had over 190 signatures,” Massey continued, referring to another effort to force the Justice Department to comply with an earlier Congressional order to release all files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr. Massey, a libertarian-leaning Republican mobster, has often been at odds with the White House since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, particularly over Mr. Massey’s calls for transparency regarding Mr. Epstein, a former friend of Mr. Trump.
The impeachment resolution is unlikely to pass, but it came as a shock to Republican leaders, who said Massey had not warned them in advance. The group claims Hegseth has carried out illegal orders, including continuing to deploy the military without parliamentary approval.
“We should take this vote. We should not suspend Congress because of optics,” Massey said on the House floor Wednesday.
Massey’s move to oust Hegseth comes amid increased scrutiny of the war. The House of Representatives on Tuesday night approved a war powers resolution ordering the White House to end the Iran war by a vote of 220-204. This is the third time the House has voted on legislation aimed at ending the war. Seven Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the resolution, up from four Republicans in the previous two war powers votes.
Asked to respond to Massey’s impeachment resolution, Pentagon spokesman Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth’s record in an emailed statement.
“By every metric, the Department of the Army is better than ever under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership. The entire Department is united in the Secretary’s vision and we will continue to work to put the warfighter and America first,” Wilson said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters earlier on Wednesday that Massey’s attempt was a “publicity stunt by someone looking for attention”.
“Of course it will be considered soon, but probably not today. When I get back, I probably will,” Johnson said.
The Democratic Party forced early dismissal.
“There’s only one explanation as to why they’re canceling tomorrow’s vote and sending us home early before the midterm elections, and that’s because they’re afraid the House will pass an impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth,” Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D.M.) said in a video posted to X. “And the Speaker clearly doesn’t want that either. Instead, they’re going to send us home.”
