3 minPolitics
House Republicans face possible vote on impeaching Hegseth
Rep. Thomas Massie plans to force a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war and related military actions, and some Republicans privately concede the measure could pass.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, plans to force a House vote on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a move that has put Republican leaders on the defensive and drawn private warnings from within the party that the measure could succeed. Massie is introducing a privileged resolution on Monday, which would require the House to act on it by Wednesday.
The resolution lays out eight articles of impeachment centered on the war with Iran and other military operations overseen by the Pentagon. The articles cover strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, strikes in Yemen, and the extradition of Nicolás Maduro. One article alleges that Hegseth retaliated against Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, over a video in which Kelly and other lawmakers urged service members to refuse what they called unlawful orders. Taken together, the articles frame the impeachment effort as a challenge to the conduct of military operations across several theaters rather than a single decision.
The political backdrop is a growing concern among Republicans about the midterm elections. Some in the party have blamed fallout from the Iran war, including higher gas prices, for losses in recent contests. Several House Republicans have privately said the impeachment effort could pass, and one factor they have pointed to is the absence of Republican members who lost their reelection bids. Those members could still cast votes, and their availability or absence could shift the outcome in a closely divided chamber.
Hegseth has dismissed the effort, calling it a shame that will not work. Massie had said he would move forward with the resolution unless Hegseth resigned first, a condition that has not been met. Massie has argued that passage is more likely after the election than before it, suggesting that the political calculations inside the House could change once voters have weighed in.
House GOP leaders have several procedural options. They could table the measure, which would effectively end it, or refer it to committee, which would also stall it. It remains unclear how leadership will handle the resolution when it reaches the floor, and that uncertainty has kept the issue active in private conversations among members.
The question carries historical weight. The last Cabinet secretary to be impeached was Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, in 2024. That effort was scuttled in the Senate, and any Hegseth case would face the same chamber if the House acts. Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, while conviction requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a threshold that makes removal difficult even when the House votes to impeach.
Source: foxnews.com
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