U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie moved Monday to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie moved Monday to force a vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pressing fellow Republicans to remove one of the Trump administration’s most prominent figures following sweeping election losses.
Massie read the impeachment resolution from the House floor just hours after it opened for the first day of sessions after the midterms.
The resolution focuses largely on the war in Iran, but it also includes references to Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.
Massie said Hegseth’s actions amounted to “high crimes and misdemeanors,” and argued he “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders” and “remains a threat to the Constitution.”
President Donald Trump lashed out at Massie just hours after the congressman read the resolution, calling him a “loser” who “has a lot of hatred in his heart.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries supports the measure, and Sen. Chuck Schumer endorsed the impeachment push, saying, “Hegseth must stand trial before the Senate.”
Republican leaders expressed frustration with the move during their final weeks in power, with House Speaker Mike Johnson saying impeachment “in the middle of hostilities abroad would be a terrible, terrible look, a terrible thing for our allies and our enemies to see that.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was unsure why the vote was being held now, adding, “We’ll see what their ultimate decision is over there,” and that “We’ll have to deal with it accordingly here.”
Ahead of the vote, Hegseth stepped up his public statements, telling reporters that he was eager to defend military actions he and Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela’s previous leaders.
After giving a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, Hegseth brushed aside the impeachment effort, saying, “There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success.”
He added that if lawmakers want to “litigate” the administration’s actions, “I’m happy to do it all day long.”
Hegseth said he would hold a rare news conference on Tuesday—his first in over 180 days—on the impeachment threat.
He argued the war was necessary because “someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon” and said “the choice was don’t act and wish it away or take a bold move,” while noting Iran has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful.
The text cited the International Atomic Energy Agency estimate that Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, described as a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Trump defended Hegseth on Monday, commending him for having “won the war” in Venezuela and “winning the war” in Iran, which the text describes as continuing to drag on.
Pentagon chief Hegseth said, “Iran is devastated,” while the reporting noted Iran has been able to keep striking military bases in the Middle East used by the United States and that disruptions to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have affected energy prices.
The reporting also cited an AP Voter Poll, stating that about 6 in 10 voters said the U.S. made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended Hegseth, saying, “I work with him. And so I see perhaps a side of him that the media doesn’t see and members of Congress may not see,” and added, “But I think Pete works really hard. He’s incredibly smart.”
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