Washington: Republican Congressman Thomas
Massie has moved to force a House vote on impeaching US Defense Secretary Pete
Hegseth, accusing him of waging war against Iran without congressional approval
and committing other abuses of power. Massie introduced eight articles of
impeachment on Monday, invoking a privileged procedure that requires House
Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule consideration within two legislative days.
Hegseth dismissed the effort, telling
reporters: "We're not worried about impeachment". He described his
critics as politically motivated, saying "their disagreements are with
success," and announced a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday to
address the matter . President Donald Trump also stood by Hegseth, telling
reporters: "I'll stand by him... He won two wars".
Massie said Hegseth broke the law by
continuing military operations in Iran for more than 90 days without
congressional authorization. He urged Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats
take control of Congress in January, warning that his effort is "a much
gentler version of what's coming" when Democrats launch their own
proceedings . House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has said he is a
"hard yes" on supporting the resolution.
The push comes days after Democrats won control of both chambers in the midterm elections, though Republicans retain control until January 3. Impeachment of a Cabinet secretary is rare, and removal would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a threshold considered unlikely to be met.
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