Rep. Thomas Massie Moves to Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as Congress returned to Washington for its first session since the election, PBS News reported.

The effort, led by the outgoing Republican, involves renewed articles of impeachment. Massie alleges that Hegseth should be dismissed for conducting unlawful war in Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela, as well as for extrajudicial killings at sea.

Thomas Massie speaks after reintroducing impeachment articles against Pete Hegseth

Defense Secretary Hegseth appeared to dismiss the allegations during the proceedings. He stated that while people may have substantial policy disagreements, those disagreements are actually with his success.

President Donald Trump expressed strong support for the Secretary. While calling Massie a “loser,” the President claimed the administration had won two wars, specifically mentioning a victory in Venezuela that he said was achieved in less than one hour.

Thomas Massie reintroduces impeachment articles against Pete Hegseth

Under House rules, Speaker Mike Johnson must hold a vote on the motion to impeach Hegseth within two legislative days. While the exact timing remains at the Speaker’s discretion, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has endorsed the resolution.

Jeffries characterized Hegseth as the “architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran” and accused him of abusing his power and undermining national security.

Rep. Thomas Massie Moves to Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

House political dynamics are changing following recent elections. Democratic gains have fundamentally altered the math required for a majority vote in the impeachment process.

Metric	Status/Details
Projected Democratic Total	Approximately 258 seats
Impeachment Requirement	Simple majority in the House
Senate Conviction Requirement	Two-thirds majority

Current reports from House Republican leadership suggest that the votes to impeach may already exist. Achieving a majority would require at least three Republicans to support the effort.

Thomas Massie introduces articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth: 'Abused his power'

Representative French Hill, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, told Face the Nation on CBS that he would not rule out impeachment. Hill noted he wants to hear the debate to determine if the situation merits impeachment or other disciplinary actions by the president.

“I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do,” said Representative Thomas Massie regarding his decision to renew the articles of impeachment.

The impeachment of a Cabinet secretary is a rare constitutional event. Only two such instances have occurred in U.S. history, and neither resulted in a conviction by the Senate. The most recent impeachment of a Cabinet official was DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.