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House Republicans Move to Impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth
· Confirmed
In Short: Republican congressman Thomas Massie plans to force a House vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging violations of the US Constitution.
Secretary Pete Hegseth official portrait (cropped).
Rep. Massie unveils impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Hegseth. NBC News
Republican congressman Thomas Massie plans to force a vote in the House of Representatives this week to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging he has violated the US Constitution.
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, citing several issues with the war secretary’s leadership, particularly how he has dealt with foreign conflicts.
The impeachment effort could attract bipartisan support, as Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have also backed the move.
Massie accused Hegseth of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers as Pentagon chief.
Hegseth responded to the impeachment push by saying, 'We're not worried about that,' and added, 'Didn't work against President Trump and it won't work with me.'
Massie said he would welcome votes from any lawmakers who want Hegseth removed, even if they have not read the details of his bill.
Massie specifically noted Hegseth’s bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, in February, which killed 120 schoolchildren and 36 other civilians.
President Trump threw his support behind Hegseth, declaring he had done a 'good job' and 'won' wars in Venezuela and Iran, and said he would stand by Hegseth if he were impeached.
Hegseth called for immediate changes within the nation's military war colleges on Monday, but the exact details of his remarks have not been revealed.
What this adds
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he supports efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing power and undermining national security.
Background
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he supports impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abusing power and undermining national security.
What's confirmed
- When asked by reporters about the impending resolution earlier on Monday, Hegseth said: "We're not worried about that."
- Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense and former Fox News host, is facing an impeachment vote in the House this week after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Monday introduced a resolution that is largely tied to the war in Iran.
- Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Monday reintroduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the U.S. war with Iran and other military actions ordered by President Donald Trump.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced Sunday that he supports efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, marking a significant development in the growing political pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration.
- Asked what would happen if Hegseth is impeached, Trump told reporters: "Yeah, I'll stand by him." Impeachment would be a humiliating blow for the Trump administration, but would not automatically remove Hegseth.
- A Republican lawmaker moved Monday to impeach US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran, setting up a potentially explosive vote in Congress days after President Donald Trump's party suffered a crushing midterm defeat.
- Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers as Pentagon chief.
What's still developing
- While impeachment has been "an incredibly rare process", it has become far more common since the House impeached President Bill Clinton in 1998, said Paul Gowder, a law professor at Northwestern University in Chicago.
- He has said his push to rid the administration of Hegseth is meant to prevent a Democrat spectacle next year.
- Loge said the chances that Hegseth would survive until the end of Trump's term are "pretty slim", but he expected Hegseth to be ousted instead of impeached.
- The impeachment effort could attract more bipartisan support, since members of both parties are frustrated with Hegseth's handling of the war with Iran and Republicans are reeling from their defeats in the midterm elections.
- Rep. Thomas Massie is accusing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of attempting to stifle Sen. Mark Kelly's freedom of speech over a video in which the Democrat senator urged troops to not obey lawful orders.
- Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) reintroduced articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday when Congress returned to Washington, D.C., kicking off what’s expected to be rigorous oversight of the Department of War and its leader in the weeks and months ahead.
- “We’re not indicting him for being bad at his job,” Hegseth said in a news conference moments after reading his articles of impeachment on the House floor.
- Trump threw his support behind Hegseth on Monday, declaring he had done a "good job" and "won" wars in Venezuela and Iran -- referring to the lightning raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, and the unresolved eight-month conflict with Tehran. Asked what would happen if Hegseth is impeached, Trump told reporters: "Yeah, I'll stand by him."
- Defeated Republicans could skip votes, making impeachment easier to pass.
- Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he's eager to litigate the military actions that he and President Donald Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela's previous leaders.
- Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) officially filed his resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and is trying to forecast to his Republican colleagues in the House that an impending vote on the matter might be a good time for them to cast some sort of public blame on someone or something for the bloodbath that was the midterms.