Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has frequently broken with his party on military intervention and executive power, introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Tuesday, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution through the continued U.S. military campaign against Iran. Under the resolution, Massie argues Hegseth participated in military operations without the congressional authorization required by federal law and the U.S. Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, has become one of the administration's most vocal GOP critics on the Iran war.
The effort marks a rare attempt by a Republican lawmaker to impeach a member of President Donald Trump's Cabinet, though it is unlikely to gain traction in the GOP-controlled House. The impeachment resolution also accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution during the conflict in Yemen, disregarding civilian-protection laws, overseeing unlawful killings, retaliating against a U.S. senator for protected speech, and directing an unauthorized operation targeting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. "Peter Brian Hegseth warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office," Massie said on the House floor.
In response to Massie's impeachment articles, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told Newsweek via email, “Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War. Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs. Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way.
Wilson continued, "By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before. The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.” Massie's impeachment effort comes as House lawmakers are again considering legislation aimed at ending U.S. military involvement in Iran, with members debating a new war powers resolution Tuesday that would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from the conflict. In April, Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari, an Iranian American, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth over the U.S. war in Iran.
A dozen Democrats signed on as cosponsors of the six articles, three of which are “unauthorized war against Iran,” “abuse of power and politicization of the armed forces,” and “violations of the law of armed conflict and targeting of civilians.” The Democratic-led impeachment push did not move forward in the House and never reached a floor vote. This is a breaking news article. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Wilson.
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