Massie moves to impeach Hegseth over Iran war

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie moved Tuesday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of illegally waging war in Iran and committing a series of constitutional violations tied to military operations abroad.

Massie, a Kentucky Republican and longtime critic of the Trump administration, read the articles of impeachment aloud on the House floor shortly after the chamber convened at noon. The resolution charges Hegseth with “high crimes and misdemeanors,” including initiating the Iran conflict without lawful authority, defying Congress’ order to withdraw and causing unnecessary civilian casualties.

“By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said in a statement after introducing the measure.

He added: “Secretary Hegseth’s constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran. He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech. If we are to remain true to our oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegseth’s unconstitutional and illegal actions.”

The House must act on the proposal by Thursday under chamber rules, creating a fast and politically sensitive vote for Republicans just before lawmakers leave Washington for an extended recess that will run until after the November midterm elections. Republicans have enough votes in theory to defeat the measure, NPR reported, though the vote could be more complicated for members in competitive districts.

The impeachment resolution outlines eight alleged constitutional violations, according to The Guardian. They include attacking Iran without first seeking congressional authorization and ignoring a war powers resolution approved by the House and Senate in June requiring an end to the conflict.

The resolution also accuses Hegseth of ignoring laws intended to minimize civilian casualties. The Guardian reported that it specifically cites a U.S. strike on a school in Minab, Iran, that killed more than 168 people. Other articles accuse Hegseth of “extrajudicial killings” of at least 221 people on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, and of “suppressing free speech” by retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over his criticism of the secretary.

The final two articles accuse Hegseth of constitutional violations connected to the military operation that captured Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro and a bombing campaign in Yemen that began shortly after President Trump returned to the White House, The Guardian reported.

The administration has maintained that the Iran conflict was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. NPR reported that experts say Iran was not close to developing one before the conflict began six months ago. NPR also reported that the war is deeply unpopular with the American public and has contributed to rising costs in the United States.

Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth in a statement to NPR. “Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War,” Wilson wrote. “The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”

Massie has repeatedly clashed with leaders of his own party and lost his primary earlier this year to an opponent backed by Trump. His disputes with Trump have extended beyond Iran: working with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, Massie led a successful effort to force the Trump administration to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

If the House approves the impeachment articles, they would go to the Senate, where Republican leaders would decide whether to hold a trial.