A Republican congressman has formally moved to impeach US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war in Iran, according to RTE.ie, setting up a vote in the House of Representatives that could come as early as Wednesday.
Kentucky representative Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief, accusing him of waging war without congressional approval and misusing his authority, RTE.ie reports. The push comes just days after President Donald Trump's party lost heavily in the midterm elections.
The House, still under Republican control until newly elected members are sworn in on 3 January, could take up the resolution this week. Some Republicans have indicated they may side with Democrats in backing the charges, according to RTE.ie.
Why it matters
An impeachment vote against a sitting defense secretary would mark a sharp escalation in the political fallout from the Iran conflict and would land as a serious blow to both Hegseth and the Trump administration.
It would not, however, automatically remove him from office. Under the US Constitution, the House can impeach a senior official by a simple majority, which amounts to bringing formal charges of serious misconduct. Removal requires the Senate to convict the official on a two-thirds vote of those present — a much higher bar.
Even after Democrats take control of the Senate in January, they would need considerable Republican support to reach that threshold. According to RTE.ie, only two Cabinet secretaries in US history — nearly 150 years apart — have been impeached, and neither was removed by the Senate.
How the effort gathered pace
Momentum behind the impeachment drive has built since Tuesday's midterm elections, when Democrats won both chambers of Congress amid broad public anger over the Iran war and steep fuel prices, RTE.ie reports.
Republicans hold Congress only until the new members are seated on 3 January. Their heavy defeat has triggered internal recriminations and loosened party discipline, and some Republicans who lost their seats could skip the vote entirely — a factor that could make it easier for the measure to succeed.
Massie, a frequent critic of Trump who lost his own primary to a candidate backed by the president, is using a special congressional procedure to force the House to consider his resolution within two legislative days, according to RTE.ie. Republican leaders could still try to block it through a procedural vote.
The articles allege that Hegseth violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which restricts the president's ability to commit US forces to hostilities without congressional consent. They also raise allegations of misconduct involving civilian casualties and military operations in Yemen and Venezuela. The Pentagon has rejected the accusations, RTE.ie reports.
Support and scepticism within the parties
Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become speaker in January, backed the effort on Sunday.
"The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran," Jeffries said, according to RTE.ie.
Several Republicans have voiced dissatisfaction with Hegseth's leadership without committing to impeachment. Arkansas congressman French Hill said he wanted to hear the debate before deciding whether the accusations warranted impeachment, RTE.ie reports.
Hegseth has dismissed Massie's effort as a "sham," describing the congressman as "disgruntled" and accusing his opponents of seeking his political destruction, according to RTE.ie. The Pentagon announced a rare press briefing by Hegseth scheduled for Tuesday.
Trump has publicly stood by his defense chief, saying last week: "I have every intention to keep him." But the president's weakened position after the midterms leaves Hegseth facing the prospect of an impeachment fight that could stretch well beyond this week's House vote, RTE.ie reports.
What to watch: whether Republican leaders move to block the resolution procedurally, how many Republicans break ranks on the floor, and whether the Senate — under Democratic control from January — takes up the matter at all.
