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Rep Thomas Massie Introduces Articles of Impeachment Against War Secretary Pete Hegseth
Confirmed
In Short: Rep Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the House floor, accusing him of various alleged abuses of power.
Thomas Massie, a Republican representative from Kentucky, introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the House floor on Tuesday, September 27. The articles accuse Hegseth of a series of alleged abuses of power, including violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for his video criticizing military actions.
According to Massie, Hegseth's actions warrant impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States. Massie's resolution contains eight articles of impeachment, with the final one charging Hegseth with carrying out unlawful orders in Yemen.
The articles also allege that Hegseth disregarded laws intended to limit civilian casualties, ordered extrajudicial killings in operations targeting suspected drug traffickers, and initiated military operations in the Caribbean and South America without congressional authorization. Additionally, Massie accused Hegseth of the 'Kidnapping of a Sovereign Foreign Leader' for his role in Operation Absolute Resolve, the January mission that led to the capture and extradition of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Hegseth already faced a separate impeachment effort from House Democrats, who introduced six articles against him in April. Those articles included allegations that he waged an unauthorized war against Iran. Republican leaders could choose to move to table the measure, which would effectively halt the impeachment effort, or the House must take it up within the next two legislative days.
The Pentagon and Hegseth had not immediately responded to Massie's announcement, leaving the situation in limbo as the House considers the next steps in the impeachment process.
What's confirmed
- Thomas Massie, a Republican representative from Kentucky, introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on the House floor on Tuesday, September 27. The articles accuse Hegseth of a series of alleged abuses of power, including violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for his video criticizing military actions.
- According to Massie, Hegseth's actions warrant impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States. Massie's resolution contains eight articles of impeachment, with the final one charging Hegseth with carrying out unlawful orders in Yemen.
- The articles also allege that Hegseth disregarded laws intended to limit civilian casualties, ordered extrajudicial killings in operations targeting suspected drug traffickers, and initiated military operations in the Caribbean and South America without congressional authorization. Additionally, Massie accused Hegseth of the 'Kidnapping of a Sovereign Foreign Leader' for his role in Operation Absolute Resolve, the January mission that led to the capture and extradition of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
- Hegseth already faced a separate impeachment effort from House Democrats, who introduced six articles against him in April. Those articles included allegations that he waged an unauthorized war against Iran. Republican leaders could choose to move to table the measure, which would effectively halt the impeachment effort, or the House must take it up within the next two legislative days.
- The Pentagon and Hegseth had not immediately responded to Massie's announcement, leaving the situation in limbo as the House considers the next steps in the impeachment process.
What's still developing
- Article six accuses Hegseth of using his authority to suppress the free speech of Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., by retaliating against the senator for his video in which the senator joined a group of other lawmakers in a video which critics claimed encourage active military members to disobey lawful orders.
- "In all of this, Secretary Hegseth abused the powers entrusted to him as Secretary of Defense by subordinating the constitutional limits on the use of military force and the laws governing the conduct of hostilities to his own policy objectives," Massie said.
- “Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said in a news release.
- The first three allege that Hegseth violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution by initiating and continuing the Iran conflict without a declaration of war or statutory authorization, and by continuing hostilities after Congress directed the removal of U.S.