Republican Lawmaker Seeks Impeachment of Trump’s Defence Secretary Over Iran War
By Sabiu Abdullahi
A Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, Thomas Massie, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over his role in the US military campaign against Iran.
Massie, who represents Kentucky, introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor on Monday, accusing Hegseth of abusing his office and carrying out unlawful orders to launch a war against a foreign country.
CNN reported that lawmakers would have to vote on the impeachment motion by Wednesday.
Presenting the articles, Massie accused the defence secretary of knowingly implementing illegal directives to initiate military action against another nation.
He argued that Hegseth had become a threat to the US Constitution and had acted in a manner inconsistent with his official responsibilities and the rule of law.
Hegseth has remained firm in his position, while President Donald Trump has publicly defended him against calls for his removal. The Pentagon chief is also expected to address the controversy at a news conference on Tuesday.
The impeachment effort comes amid mounting criticism of Hegseth following the Republican Party’s poor performance in the 2026 midterm elections.
According to CNN, some Republican lawmakers and allies have blamed the party’s electoral losses partly on the war with Iran.
Critics have accused Hegseth of playing a key role in persuading Trump to launch the military campaign without a clearly defined exit strategy. They have also questioned his assessment of how quickly the United States could achieve its military objectives.
US Vice President JD Vance reportedly attributed the Republican setbacks to the conflict, while Trump acknowledged that the war had contributed to rising petrol prices. The president, however, maintained that the decision to attack Iran was justified.
Although impeachment requires only a simple majority in the House of Representatives, removing Hegseth from office would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.
CNN reported that Massie’s proposal could attract sufficient support in the House if Democrats, the lawmaker himself and a small number of Republicans back it. However, securing the required votes in the Senate would be considerably more difficult.
Hegseth, 46, is a former Fox News presenter and US Army National Guard officer who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.
He graduated from Princeton University in 2003 before obtaining a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University.