Republican Rep. Thomas Massie moves to force House impeachment vote on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Summary

On Monday, Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved to force a House vote on eight articles of impeachment against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Massie accuses Hegseth of illegally waging war without congressional authorization, including against Iran, and of abusing his powers. Other allegations include ignoring laws that minimise civilian casualties, conducting extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech and kidnapping a foreign leader. The move puts pressure on fellow Republicans to decide whether to remove one of the Trump administration's most prominent figures after the party's defeat in the midterm elections. Hegseth brushed off the concerns, saying he was 'not worried about that'. Donald Trump is standing by Hegseth. The BBC reports that the effort will likely fail, but that Massie wants to push Trump to fire Hegseth before Democrats can launch their own impeachment process next year.

Timeline

1. Hindustan Times

   9 Nov 2026, 17:52 UTCSource ↗

   Hindustan Times reports that Pete Hegseth brushed off concerns over a possible impeachment, saying he was 'not worried about that', as Massie tries to force a vote on articles of impeachment against him.

2. The Guardian

   9 Nov 2026, 19:31 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers.

3. France 24

   9 Nov 2026, 19:32 UTCSource ↗

   France 24 reports that Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie moved on Monday to force a House vote to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, putting pressure on fellow Republicans after the party's defeat in the midterm elections.

4. BBC

   9 Nov 2026, 23:45 UTCSource ↗

   The BBC reports that Republican Representative Thomas Massie will force an impeachment vote on Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, an effort it says will likely fail, as Massie wants to push Trump to fire Hegseth before Democrats launch their own impeachment process.

5. Sydney Morning Herald

   10 Nov 2026, 02:39 UTCSource ↗

   The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Thomas Massie accused Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth of abusing his power by waging war against Iran, ignoring laws that minimise civilian casualties, conducting extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech and kidnapping a foreign leader.