Republican Lawmaker Moves to Force Impeachment Vote Against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie has moved to force a vote on eight articles of impeachment against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, setting the stage for a legislative showdown.

The maneuver follows midterm election losses, which Republican leaders attributed to the Iran war and its effects on voters. Massie first introduced the impeachment resolution on September 15, but House Speaker Mike Johnson called the chamber into recess before it could be heard.

The resolution accuses Hegseth of committing high crimes and misdemeanors, alleging he knowingly executed unlawful orders by waging an unauthorized war in Iran, violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution, and mishandling operations in Yemen and Venezuela. Additional accusations target military actions involving civilian casualties, extrajudicial strikes against drug boats in the Caribbean, and an investigation into Senator Mark Kelly for encouraging troops to disobey illegal orders.

At the War Department: We Stand. We Fight. We Defend the Republic. pic.twitter.com/Kkr0DazmCE

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While the House can approve impeachment charges with a simple majority, removal requires a two-thirds supermajority vote in the Senate after a trial. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told ABC News that he is a “hard yes” on the measure, stating that Hegseth “has got to go.”

“The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran,” Jeffries told ABC News.

Republican unity has fractured in the wake of the midterms. Representative Don Bacon questioned Massie’s reasoning but argued that Hegseth deserved impeachment for withholding aid to Ukraine and forcing out or blocking promotions for around 80 senior military officers.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — Photo: 1News

President Donald Trump defended his defense chief, dismissing Massie as a “stone cold loser” to reporters and asserting that Hegseth was “guilty of two things, basically winning two wars.” Hegseth released a video describing the impeachment threat as “all about the politics of personal destruction” and insisted that it “won’t work with me.”

Under House rules, the vote would have to occur no later than Wednesday, putting pressure on lawmakers before the new Congress takes office on January 3. The Pentagon has scheduled a Hegseth press briefing for Wednesday as watchdogs and lawmakers spar over the future of the nation’s defense leadership.

The House of Representatives is barreling toward a vote on whether to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has vowed to address the effort during a rare press conference on Tuesday morning. W @Kubota_Yoko https://t.co/3WwSBPeZs0

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GOP Rep. Thomas Massie: "I think there's two categories of Republicans after Nov. 3rd who are more likely to vote to impeach Pete Hegseth. One, I call it the retirement caucus. These aren't people who joined voluntarily. And the ranks of this caucus swelled for Republicans on… pic.twitter.com/sFrlyIUdoX”

— Post by @kaitlancollins on X

President Trump tells me he will back Secretary Hegseth even if he's impeached. pic.twitter.com/DK2LRbXxhX

— Post by @kaitlancollins on X

When a senior Cabinet official releases a video message vowing to fight for his job, you know he’s about to lose his job. For Pete Hegseth, it may be a matter of days. Let's hope so. https://t.co/EHiHemOVfY pic.twitter.com/OcQc59OlyQ

— Post by @RBReich on X