Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing an impeachment vote in the House — and the effort is coming from a Republican who has been feuding with him for months.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday, accusing the defense secretary of committing “high crimes and misdemeanors” over military operations in Iran, strikes on boats in the Caribbean and other actions he says violated the Constitution.
Because Massie filed the resolution as a privileged measure, House leaders cannot simply bury it in committee. The House must take up the resolution within two legislative days, although Republicans could move to table it and effectively end the impeachment effort.
Massie accused Hegseth of violating his oath to support and defend the Constitution and his duty to ensure that federal laws are faithfully executed.
At the center of the impeachment effort is the war in Iran.
Massie argues that Hegseth has continued military operations without the congressional authorization required under the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. The Hill reported that Massie specifically accused Hegseth of conducting hostilities against Iran without congressional approval.
But this fight is also deeply personal.
Hegseth traveled to Kentucky earlier this year to campaign against Massie in the Republican primary, backing former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
During that campaign, Hegseth took a direct shot at Massie.
“At some point, being against everything becomes an excuse for accomplishing nothing,” he said.
Gallrein defeated Massie in the primary, ending Massie’s bid for another term in the House. Massie is therefore leaving Congress, but he is now using his remaining time in office to force a vote on Hegseth.
The impeachment effort comes after Democrats separately introduced articles against Hegseth earlier this year.
Massie’s move is different because it comes from inside Hegseth’s own party — and because the privileged resolution forces House Republicans to confront the issue on the floor.
The House has already passed war-powers measures related to the conflict, adding another layer to the dispute over whether the administration has continued military action without sufficient congressional authorization.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defended the secretary and the administration’s record, saying that “standards and merit are back” and that the military’s arsenal, morale and recruitment are stronger than before.
“Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way,” Wilson said.
Wilson also said the Department of Defense is unified behind Hegseth’s leadership.
