Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told CNN he will bring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s impeachment to a House vote as early as next week. Multiple Republican sources expect it to pass, the outlet reported.
Massie will reintroduce his articles of impeachment when Congress returns for its lame-duck session unless Hegseth resigns, he wrote on X on Wednesday night. A House impeachment needs a simple majority, and conviction requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
Massie introduced eight articles on September 15, but Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the House’s last voting day before the midterms, calling the effort a stunt. The articles charge Hegseth with fighting the Iran war without congressional approval, disregarding civilian-protection laws, directing lethal strikes on suspected drug boats that left at least 221 dead, retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and ordering operations in Venezuela and Yemen without authority.
Sponsored · Selkirk Copper Mines
Massie lost his May primary to a Trump-backed challenger and leaves Congress in January. Democrats won both chambers Tuesday.
Read: Trump Says He ‘Wasn’t on the Ballot’ as Democrats Flip Texas, Iowa and Kansas Senate Seats
In his first post since the midterm elections, Vice President JD Vance, in many words, blamed the war for the loss, stopping short of naming Hegseth, self-styled ‘Secretary of War’. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest.”
Republicans who spoke anonymously say Hegseth pushed Trump toward the war, oversold the odds of a quick win, and kept urging escalation despite little sign Iran was closer to surrender. Some in Trump’s orbit now see his likely impeachment as another reason to make him the fall guy.
Previously: Short of Admitting Defeat, Trump Pins Iran War on Hegseth
Trump has not signaled plans to fire any top officials. He denied Wednesday that he plans to fire Hegseth and said he thinks the defense secretary is doing a very good job, but he has kept asking allies about Hegseth’s performance, White House officials said. Trump may also want Hegseth in place if he orders more strikes on Iran, one source said, especially with Democrats’ new Senate majority likely to complicate confirming a replacement.
A person close to Hegseth said he expects to stay and is ready to fight impeachment, while a Pentagon spokesman said Hegseth plans to serve through the end of Trump’s term.
