Massie Files 8 Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth, Forcing a House Vote Within Two Days

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor on Monday, Nov. 9, accusing him of waging war on Iran without congressional authorization and abusing the powers of his office. Because Massie filed the 34-page resolution as privileged, House leaders must act on the Hegseth impeachment measure within two legislative days, setting up a vote as soon as Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The House can pass the articles by a simple majority, or Republicans can try to kill them with a motion to table or refer, which also needs a majority, NBC News reported. If the House approves them, the Senate would hold a trial on whether to remove Hegseth.

What the eight articles allege

Three articles accuse Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution. The first charges him with “waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat,” according to Massie’s announcement quoted by NBC. Another says he kept U.S. forces in hostilities after the law’s 60-day limit expired.

The remaining articles, as summarized by PolitiFact and CBS News, cover:

• Civilian harm in Iran, citing a strike early in the war that hit an elementary school in Minab, which the resolution says killed more than 200 civilians, and Hegseth’s dismantling of offices Congress created to limit collateral damage.
• The Caribbean and eastern Pacific boat strikes, which the resolution calls “extrajudicial killings,” including secondary strikes on survivors. PolitiFact, summarizing the articles, said they cite at least 221 deaths; Roll Call reported that the updated resolution puts the figure at least at 243.
• The capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, described as “an act of war against a sovereign country.”
• U.S. strikes in Yemen, which the article says killed an estimated 224 civilians across more than 1,100 strikes.
• The Pentagon’s pressure on Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., after he appeared in a video telling service members they need not follow illegal orders.

Massie wrote that Hegseth “has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.” These are allegations in a political charging document, not findings of any court.

The vote math

Democrats are expected to back the resolution. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he is a “hard yes” on impeachment. With the narrow GOP majority, PolitiFact calculated that three Republicans would need to join all Democrats for the articles to pass.

Several Republicans signaled openness after their party’s midterm losses, which Trump and Vice President JD Vance have blamed partly on the war. House Oversight Chair James Comer said on NewsNation that “there’s a lot of questions about Hegseth,” adding, “No one’s happy about Iran,” CBS News reported. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska said he is “wrestling” with the vote: “I don’t think he’s been a good secretary, but do you impeach a guy for that? It has to be a high crime or misdemeanor.” Rep. French Hill of Arkansas said he wants to hear the debate first. Speaker Mike Johnson said impeaching Hegseth during hostilities abroad “would be a terrible, terrible look.”

Hegseth and Trump push back

Hegseth called the effort “sham articles of impeachment” from “a disgruntled, defeated congressman” in a video last week. Asked Monday whether he had enough Republican support, he said, “We’re not worried about that,” and announced a Pentagon news conference for Tuesday morning. Trump defended him on Nov. 8: “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined. And it’s awfully hard to say, ‘Let’s impeach somebody who did that,'” PolitiFact reported.

Massie, who lost his primary and leaves Congress in January, urged the Senate to act, noting the articles would carry over to a Democratic-controlled Senate next year. “The question is whether he committed impeachable acts,” he wrote on X. “And the answer is yes, eight times.”

History and what experts say

Only two Cabinet secretaries have been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, who was acquitted, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, whose charges the Senate dismissed. Legal experts told PolitiFact the War Powers counts face an uphill battle because courts have not ruled decisively on that law, while University of Missouri emeritus law professor Frank O. Bowman III called the boat-strike and Kelly articles potentially “constitutionally very strong.”

The vote comes as the U.S.-Iran war enters its ninth month. For background, see our earlier report on how the impeachment fight took shape before the House returned, and our Pentagon coverage.

Sources

• NBC News: GOP Rep. Thomas Massie unveils impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
• CBS News: Massie introduces impeachment articles against Hegseth, teeing up vote this week
• PolitiFact: What's the focus and likelihood of Hegseth impeachment?
• Roll Call: Massie moves to force Hegseth impeachment vote