United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faces the possibility of impeachment following a resolution introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, accusing him of waging unconstitutional wars in Iran and Venezuela, systematically failing to protect civilians, and engaging in abusive behavior towards political opponents. The House of Representatives, which holds the exclusive power of impeachment according to the US Constitution, could vote on the impeachment articles by midweek, with top Democrats indicating their support for the resolution. Hegseth has defiantly rejected the accusations and has the backing of President Donald Trump.
In his speech on the House floor, Congressman Massie outlined eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution by waging unlawful wars in Iran and Venezuela, as well as mistreating Democratic Senator Mark Kelly. The charges also include fostering a culture hostile to the protection of civilians and carrying out illegal attacks on boats in the Caribbean since 2025.
If impeached, Hegseth would join William Belknap, who was impeached for bribery in 1876, as the second head of the US military to face such a fate. The conflict-related articles accuse Hegseth of bypassing Congress and launching unlawful bombing campaigns against Iran and Yemen's Houthi group in 2025, while one non-conflict related article concerns Hegseth's treatment of Senator Mark Kelly.
Hegseth held a press conference on Tuesday where he characterized the impeachment motion as a "farce" and a "stunt." He defended his military operations as lawful and criticized Massie for attempting to impeach him over policy disagreements, arguing that such disputes should be resolved through legislation or elections rather than impeachment proceedings.