Sept. 16 (UPI) — Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., read a 34-page resolution on the House floor to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Massie charged Hegseth with eight articles of impeachment. They include ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties, administering an “unlawful war” in Yemen, ordering extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech and kidnapping a sovereign leader, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“Secretary Hegseth has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Secretary of Defense and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States of America,” Massie read from the resolution.
He alleged that Hegseth will “remain a threat to civilians and the laws of war, the integrity of United States diplomacy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law.”
“Peter Brian Hegseth thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States,” the resolution said.
Massie posted about his action on X Wednesday morning.
“It’s telling that neither President [Donald] Trump nor the brigade of paid MAGA grifters are coming to the defense of @SecWar against the Articles of Impeachment I offered yesterday.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth Tuesday when asked by a reporter about Massie’s resolution.
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things,” Blanche said. “He follows the law, and so the [Justice Department] plays a role in that and we play an active role in making sure the law’s complied with.”
The Pentagon defended Hegseth in a statement.
“Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in the statement, later adding that the “entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”
Massie kept the plan to introduce the resolution secret, saying, “Frankly, I was concerned that [Speaker of the House] Mike Johnson would end Congress again, like shorten even our already truncated work period if he found out I was doing this. So I shared the idea with nobody,”
Massie lost his House seat in May after Trump endorsed his Republican opponent Ed Gallrein.
It’s unclear if the vote will be successful. Republicans, with a very narrow lead over Democrats in the House, can afford to lose two votes.
The House must vote on the resolution within two legislative days. That would force Republican members to defend Hegseth on the record just before midterm elections. Or, Republicans could table the issue or cancel Thursday’s session.
“Doing this wasn’t predicated on whether it could succeed or not; there needs to be a marker in history,” Massie told reporters afterward. “The president has exceeded, and Secretary Hegseth specifically, in many ways himself, and sometimes directed by illegal orders from the president, they have exceeded all norms for rules of engagement for how you use or misuse our military, to take oil from another country, to kidnap a foreign leader, like somebody needs to put a marker in history, and that’s what this is. Hopefully, it passes, and they can litigate this in the Senate.”
Massie said he’d tried all other ways to stop the war in Iran with no luck.
“Why today? Because Speaker Johnson has basically canceled the rest of Congress until the elections,” Massie explained. “Two days from now is the end of our session before we go on recess, and there can be a vote within two days. So I had to do it today.”
Source: U.S. News
You must be logged in to post a comment.