Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) intensified his campaign to remove Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday, introducing eight articles of impeachment that will force the House of Representatives to vote on the Pentagon chief's removal by Wednesday.
The impeachment effort targets Hegseth's conduct during several major military operations, including the war against Iran, the American operation to capture Venezuela's president and the killings of suspected drug traffickers in international waters, which Massie characterized as extrajudicial.
The Kentucky Republican accused Hegseth of abusing his authority, arguing that the impeachment articles concerned the legality of his actions rather than his effectiveness in carrying them out.
“We’re not indicting him for being bad at his job. In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran; he was very effective at extrajudicial killings," Massie said during a Monday press conference, as quoted by The Hill. “There’s no argument in these impeachment articles that he’s ineffective."
The latest move marks Massie's second attempt in two months to force a vote on Hegseth's impeachment.
His previous effort was effectively blocked when House Republican leaders adjourned the chamber a day earlier than planned ahead of the midterm election recess, preventing a potentially uncomfortable vote for Republican lawmakers facing competitive races.
Although Hegseth has faced criticism from some members of his own party, Massie remains the only Republican publicly advocating his removal. With Republicans still controlling the House, it remains uncertain whether the impeachment resolution can secure sufficient support.
Hegseth dismissed the renewed impeachment push, indicating that he agreed with President Donald Trump's assertion that he would “do it again" regarding the decision to launch military operations against Iran.
Trump, meanwhile, strongly defended his Secretary of War during remarks to reporters at the White House, promising to support him if the House votes to impeach.
“Yeah, I’ll stand by him," Trump said.
The President also attacked Massie, describing him as “a stone cold loser."
“Massie has a lot of hatred in his heart," Trump said of the Kentucky lawmaker, who lost his Republican primary earlier this year to a candidate endorsed by Trump.
“I don’t want to waste my time watching him. We won two wars, and we’ve made the world a lot safer place, and then we’re supposed to be impeached?"
Trump praised Hegseth's performance, saying he had “done a very good job," and questioned why the Pentagon chief should face impeachment after what the President described as successful military campaigns.
“So, I say this - Pete Hegseth won two wars, oh, let’s impeach him? What about impeaching the gentleman from Biden, his person that disappeared for two weeks and nobody had any idea where he was?" Trump said.
The President was referring to former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, whose hospitalization in late 2023 and early 2024 was not immediately disclosed to senior administration officials.
Trump continued by criticizing the handling of previous American military campaigns.
“What about impeaching that went, that ran Iraq and Afghanistan, and all of these other wars, where thousands of lives have been lost," he added.
Under House procedures, Massie's introduction of the impeachment articles requires lawmakers to take up the measure by Wednesday.