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Republican Rep. Thomas Massie moved Monday to force a vote to impeach U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, putting pressure on his fellow Republicans to decide whether to remove one of the Trump administration’s most prominent figures following sweeping election losses.
The impeachment resolution largely focuses on the war in Iran. It also includes references to Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela, the deadly strikes on boats allegedly transporting drugs in waters near South America, and attempts to prosecute two Congress members who served in the military and recorded a video advising service members they were not obliged to follow illegal orders.
Massie, who was defeated by a Trump-backed challenger in a primary earlier this year, said the secretary’s actions amount to “high crimes and misdemeanours” and his leadership at the Pentagon “thus warrants impeachment.”
A vote in the House could come by mid-week, putting pressure on Republicans — many of whom blamed their election wipeout on the Iran war — but next steps are highly uncertain.
Hegseth also announced that he would hold a rare news conference from the Pentagon on Tuesday — his first in more than 180 days — on the impeachment threat.
Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday, largely focused on the Iran war. Speaking to reporters after, Massie warned Republican leadership against trying to dismiss the vote by referring it to committee, saying the issue required ‘a vote and rigorous debate.”
Vote would be ‘terrible look’: departing Speaker
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had tried to prevent this outcome, and warned lawmakers against impeaching Hegseth while the U.S. is engaged in military actions in the Middle East.
“Impeaching a cabinet secretary right now, especially the Department of War in the middle of hostilities abroad would be a terrible, terrible look, a terrible thing for our allies and our enemies to see that,” said Johnson, who will give way to a new Democratic House Speaker in January.
“We don’t impeach cabinet secretaries for political gain or for cheap tricks, and I think that’s what this is and I think everybody knows it.”
Hegseth defends actions
Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, Massie said Hegseth has violated international norms and the U.S.’s own conventions of war in Iran.
“It’s to the disadvantage and the dishonour of our country, and to the danger of our soldiers in future conflict,” he said.
Hegseth said earlier Monday he’s eager to litigate the military actions that he and U.S. President Donald Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela’s previous leaders.
“If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider or nabbing Nicolás Maduro, you’re taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished, which is historic,” Hegseth told reporters Monday, using the military code names for the Iran war and campaign of strikes to halt the Houthis’ attacks on shipping in the Middle East.
Hegseth gave a State of the Force address at Marine Corps Base Quantico on Sept. 30, but has not held a media availablity since May. (Alex Wong/The Associated Press)
The Pentagon chief is bearing the brunt of anger and calls for his ouster after the Iran war and its economic impact contributed to severe Republican losses in the midterm elections that cost the party control of Congress. Massie pushed forward an impeachment resolution over the objections of House Republican leadership as momentum grows to hold Hegseth accountable for the conflict.
“The reality is, we’re not indicting him for being bad at his job,” said Massie outside the Capitol later in the day. “In fact, he was very effective at killing school children in Iran. He was very effective at extrajudicial killings.”
Hegseth waves off impeachment push as ‘noise’
Hegseth, after giving a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, brushed aside the possible impeachment push.
“There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success,” he told reporters. He added that “if we want to litigate” the military actions that the Trump administration has taken, “I’m happy to do it all day long.”
“My team, we’re not worried about the noise — it’s what I told the troops, too — don’t worry about the noise,” he said.
On Monday, Trump called Massie a “stone-cold loser” and said he would stand by Hegseth even if he is impeached.
In an interview with C-SPAN, he said if any Republicans voted for impeachment, he’d be “disappointed in them,” while arguing that “Pete has won two wars,” referring to the lightning strike operation in Venezuela and the military campaign against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed calls for Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s resignation, despite more Republicans blaming the Iran war for their massive midterm losses. Meanwhile, Democrats are gearing up to flex their new power after taking both houses of Congress.
Hegseth insists ‘Iran is devastated’
Hegseth argued that the war was necessary because “someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon” and said “the choice was don’t act and wish it away or take a bold move.”
Hegseth reiterated that “Iran is devastated,” even though the Islamic republic has been able to keep striking military bases in the Middle East that are used by the United States, causing billions of dollars in damage, as well as commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Disruptions to shipping in the waterway, where one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war, have led to higher energy prices that hit voters’ pocketbooks.
With anger in Congress rising, Hegseth has been on a social media blitz, posting a video last week acknowledging the threat of impeachment. He said it would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” and insisted that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Since then, scores of political appointees within the Pentagon have posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words, “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.” The White House also posted a video to social media that featured praise from Trump.
Source: www.cbc.ca
