WASHINGTON – Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, will force a vote this week on impeaching Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, one of President Donald Trump's most controversial Cabinet secretaries and the public face of an increasingly unpopular war.
The impeachment effort comes just days after Republicans suffered historic losses in the midterm elections, which Trump and Vice President JD Vance have attributed to the conflict with Iran, which has spiked gas prices. Some Republicans have urged the White House to fire Hegseth and install a new leader at the helm of the Pentagon before Democrats reclaim control of Congress in January and likely grind most confirmations to a halt.
Massie, an anti-war Republican and one of Trump’s top political opponents, will
seek to oust Hegseth for waging war in Iran without congressional approval, launching lethal military strikes against alleged drug traffickers into the Caribbean Sea and allegedly ignoring laws mandated by Congress to minimize civilian casualties during military conflict.
The Kentucky lawmaker, who will exit Congress at the end of the term after being defeated by a Trump-backed primary opponent, also accused Hegseth of abusing his power by conducting military strikes in Yemen, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid and using a Pentagon investigation to retaliate against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona.
Hegseth "has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States Armed Forces, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office," Massie wrote in the resolution.
Hegseth is one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration on Capitol Hill and some GOP lawmakers believe that the impeachment effort could pass. Hegseth’s combative approach to the congressional armed services committees, which historically have a close relationship with the Pentagon’s leader, has alienated both Democrat and Republican lawmakers.
"I think there are enough Republicans who want him gone," said Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Even if the House votes to impeach Hegseth, however, it is unlikely that he will be ousted. A trial would subsequently take place in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to remove him from office.
Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon has also been defined by a string of scandals, including his use of a commercial messaging app to discuss a military operation, his push to livestream an execution by firing squad and his fixation on troops’ testosterone levels.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who will likely become the next speaker of the House, said on Nov. 8 that he will support impeaching Hegseth.
"I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution," he said in an interview on ABC. "Pete Hegseth has got to go."
Massie first sought to force a vote in impeaching Hegseth in September, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, sent lawmakers home early to avoid a vote on the measure until after the midterm elections. Massie has to reintroduce his impeachment resolution to restart the two-day clock before the House can vote on the measure.
"I’ve seen some of my colleagues say @SecWar Hegseth has been effective and they agree with the war, so they’ll vote not to impeach," Massie wrote in a social media post on Nov. 9. "That’s not the question though. The question is whether he committed impeachable acts, and the answer is yes, eight times."
Hegseth has defended the Iran war and vowed to fight efforts to oust him, saying in a video address on Nov. 5 that Massie was a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" who joined with Democrats to drop "sham articles of impeachment against yours truly."
"Their policies don’t work, so their obsession with political theater, disguised as power, drives them to try to destroy their opponents," he added. "Didn’t work against President Trump and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that."
Trump has also defended Hegseth despite calls for his removal and denounced the impeachment effort against him. The White House social media account has recently posted messages praising Hegseth and his accomplishments at the Pentagon.
"He’s guilty of two things: basically winning two wars," Trump told reporters on Nov. 8. "I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republican moves to force Pete Hegseth impeachment vote this week
