Massie files eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth over the Iran war, setting up a House vote this week

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday over his handling of the Iran war and other alleged misconduct^1,3.

Massie unveiled eight articles in a speech on the House floor^5,7. He moved to force a vote, putting pressure on his fellow Republicans, and a House vote is expected this week^3,9.

Reading the articles, Massie said Hegseth “will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law”¹. The articles allege that the defense secretary “abused” his powers¹⁰.

The charges and the response

The resolution largely focuses on the war in Iran, and it also refers to Hegseth’s role in carrying out other military actions¹⁴. Massie has accused Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution by continuing military operations in Iran that Massie calls unlawful⁸. The eight charges cover what Massie describes as unlawful war or military actions in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela¹⁵.

“Secretary Hegseth’s constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran,” Massie’s office said in a statement¹¹.

Hegseth said he will hold a news conference to defend his record and that he is eager to litigate the policy choices behind the war^6,16. He repeated a line Secretary of State Marco Rubio used a day earlier: “It doesn’t have to be necessarily popular”¹⁶. Hegseth also said he agrees with President Donald Trump that he would “do it again” on Iran¹³.

Trump has said his defense secretary is only “guilty of two things: basically winning two wars”¹². Hegseth calls himself the secretary of war, part of an effort to rebrand a military he said was too weak⁹.

Why it matters to investors

The vote could be the first impeachment of a Cabinet secretary in Trump’s second term, and it could signal what is to come when Democrats take control of Congress next year¹.

The war is a political liability for the president’s party. About 6 in 10 voters said the United States made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran⁴. The unpopular war was a top factor in the party’s midterm defeats².

A Republican-led push to remove the official running the war therefore tests how much support the conflict still has inside the governing party, before the new Congress is seated^2,3.

What to watch: whether the House holds the vote this week, how many Republicans side with Massie, and what Hegseth says at his news conference^6,9.