Miami
Thomas Massie files eight impeachment articles against Pete Hegseth
The Republican congressman brought the measure to the House floor, accusing the defense secretary over the Iran war, military actions in the Caribbean and Yemen, and alleged retaliation against Mark Kelly. A vote is expected within two days, though the effort faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Congress.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced a resolution on the House floor Tuesday seeking the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, laying out eight articles that he argued amount to serious misconduct in office.
According to Fox News Politics and CBS News Miami, the first three articles focus on the war with Iran and accuse Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Massie argued that the conflict is being carried out without a declaration of war or specific congressional authorization, and also accused Hegseth of continuing hostilities beyond the time limits set by the law.
CBS News Miami noted that the statute requires the administration to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces into hostilities when there is no legislative authorization, and sets a 60-day cap with an additional 30-day withdrawal window. That outlet reported that Donald Trump notified Congress on July 10 that military action against Iran had formally resumed after he declared a monthlong ceasefire over.
Massie also accused Hegseth of defying Congress regarding troop removal from Iran. He further included charges tied to a failure to minimize civilian casualties and to extrajudicial killing connected, Fox News Politics reported, to operations targeting suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea.
Another article accuses Hegseth of retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, with Massie arguing that Kelly was punished for constitutionally protected speech. CBS News Miami linked that charge to Hegseth’s move to demote Kelly after the senator urged service members to reject illegal orders.
The resolution also targets the capture and extraction from Caracas of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores during Operation Absolute Resolve in January. Massie described that episode as the kidnapping of a sovereign foreign leader without constitutional or legal authority, according to Fox News Politics.
The final article deals with military action in Yemen. Fox News Politics reported that Massie accused Hegseth of launching Operation Rough Rider without congressional authorization or an imminent threat to the United States, while also alleging failures to comply with war powers reporting requirements and unlawful strikes that caused extensive civilian deaths.
Under House procedure, CBS News Miami reported, the chamber must vote on the impeachment articles within the next two days. The outlet added that the measure is highly unlikely to advance in a Congress controlled by Republicans.
Asked for comment by CBS News Miami, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth, calling him a transformative leader and saying the department remains united behind him.
Sources
About this piece. Written by El Notero with AI assistance, from reporting published by the outlet cited above. El Notero did no original reporting on this story.
