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Outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has moved to impeach US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran, introducing eight articles of impeachment that accuse him of illegally waging war without congressional authorisation and abusing his powers as Pentagon chief.
Addressing the developments during an appearance on CNN's The Source alongside Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, Massie emphasised that the Senate cannot evade impeachment proceedings by delaying action until the next legislative session. Discussing the articles of impeachment filed against Hegseth, Massie explained the procedural distinction governing congressional resolutions, stating, "If the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader are somehow able to push this into the next Congress, for every other bill and resolution, they expire at the end of this Congress. But for impeachments, they go into the next Congress. And so the Senate can't run out the clock on this one." Weighing in on the discussion during the broadcast, Ro Khanna underscored Massie's principled stance on Capitol Hill, pointing out the personal and professional toll such positions often exact by noting, "Thomas literally gave up his career because he stood up on the war on Iran and on the Epstein files." Hegseth had "knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders" by waging war without congressional approval, Massie, a critic of Donald Trump who lost his primary to a candidate backed by the President, stated on the House floor. The articles cite violations of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, alongside misconduct involving civilian casualties and operations in Yemen and Venezuela. Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host and one of Trump's handpicked appointments in his second term as US President, took charge of the Department of War despite lacking administrative experience commensurate with the post. Despite controversies surrounding his tenure as Secretary of War, Trump has maintained his support for Hegseth and repeatedly dismissed suggestions of dismissing him. While bipartisan backing for impeachment has grown, one of Trump's staunch allies in Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, has blocked previous initiatives, contending that impeaching a Cabinet secretary amid active hostilities abroad projects a "terrible look" to both allies and adversaries. When Massie initially sought to present the resolution as a privileged motion in September, Johnson countered by abruptly adjourning the House and dismissing lawmakers nearly seven weeks early for the midterms, successfully deferring the vote beyond Election Day. Nevertheless, the midterm outcome fell short of Republican expectations, with Democrats poised to seize control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives by January 2027, heightening Hegseth's vulnerability. Incoming Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries, projected to assume the speakership in January, stated on Sunday that he was a "hard yes" on impeachment, telling ABC News, "The so-called Secretary of Defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran." "Pete Hegseth has got to go," Jeffries added. Trump reaffirmed his backing for Hegseth on Monday, asserting that he had performed a "good job" and "won" conflicts in Venezuela and Iran, pointing to the rapid raid that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in January, alongside the prolonged eight-month conflict with Tehran. In response to queries regarding a potential impeachment of Hegseth, Trump told reporters, "Yeah, I'll stand by him." Trump additionally dismissed Massie as a "stone cold loser" over the impeachment push. (ANI)
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