Rep. Thomas Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A House vote could come within days.
In a 34-page privileged resolution filed on Monday, the Kentucky Republican set out the charges, accusing Hegseth of 'high crimes and misdemeanors' and saying he is a threat to the Constitution if he remains in the job.
What the eight articles charge
The eight grounds reach four theatres of operation: Iran, the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, Venezuela and Yemen.
Article I accuses him of carrying out unlawful orders when he opened hostilities against Iran on 28 February 2026, in breach of Section 2(c) of the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
The articles say he declined to withdraw US forces from Iran after both chambers passed House Concurrent Resolution 86 in June 2026, despite Congress’s direction, and continued hostile operations beyond the statutory deadlines of 1 May and 1 June 2026 without an extension from Congress.
The articles cite a 28 February 2026 cruise missile attack on an elementary school named Shajareh Tayyebeh in Iran. More than 200 civilians were killed and wounded, most of them children.
Article V targets the campaign against boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific. At least 221 people died across 63 attack events.
By subjecting persons merely suspected of criminal conduct to lethal military force without judicial process, without congressional authorization, and without establishing a lawful basis for treating such persons or vessels as military targets, Secretary Hegseth arrogated to himself and the Executive Branch the roles of judge, jury, and executioner and asserted a unilateral power to determine who may live and who may die
A further article accuses Hegseth of retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly after Kelly publicly reminded service members that they can refuse illegal orders. It cites a Secretarial Letter of Censure and threats to recall him for court-martial and to prosecute him.
One article covers operations in Caracas, Venezuela, on 3 January 2026. The operation drew more than 200 special operations personnel and 150 aircraft, and ended with former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife taken by force.
The last article addresses Operation Rough Rider, a 52-day campaign in Yemen. Its 1,100 strikes caused roughly 224 civilian deaths.
From a September pledge to a November filing
Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host, was picked by Trump for the Pentagon in his second term. He took charge of the Department of War without administrative experience on the scale the job demands, and calls himself Secretary of War, though his official title remains Secretary of Defense.
Reports said he first announced in September that he would force a House vote on removing Hegseth, but waited for Congress to return after the midterms. The Republicans' midterm defeat was historic, and reports followed that his job was in doubt.
Trump told reporters he wasn't weighing a replacement, but suggested Hegseth would be 'very popular' as a senator taking over Marsha Blackburn's seat once she moved into the Tennessee governor's mansion. Later reports said Blackburn wasn't considering appointing him.
He had lost his own primary in May to a candidate Trump backed.
Hegseth calls it a spectacle and a stunt
It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment.
He said the effort wasn't oversight or accountability, and that he stood behind the operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen. He'd run them again tomorrow.
We destroyed terror regimes' capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs. These are not high crimes. This is the job, and it's the job well done.
He described the effort as sabotage rather than patriotism, saying it told US enemies that Washington punishes its own troops and civilian leadership for lawful operations. He also called it a farce and a stunt.
Pete Hegseth gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!
Only two cabinet secretaries have been impeached
The House has impeached only two cabinet secretaries: William Belknap, the secretary of war, in 1876, and Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, in 2024.
| William Belknap | Alejandro Mayorkas | Pete Hegseth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post | Secretary of War | Secretary of Homeland Security | Secretary of Defense |
| Year | 1876 | 2024 | 2026 |
| House action | Impeached | Impeached | Articles filed |
Prediction market pricing put the chance of Hegseth being impeached by 31 December 2026 at 77.8 percent, up from 74 percent in the previous 24 hours.
House Democrats also drew up their own impeachment articles, citing unauthorized actions and security lapses. Massie introduced his with support from lawmakers including Rep. Ro Khanna.
The odds of Hegseth leaving his post by 30 November stood at 19 percent. Whether the House has voted on the resolution, how any vote turned out and whether he keeps the job are unsettled.
Massie announced that the House would vote on the resolution today, 10 November 2026. Breaking Defense reported that the House could vote on the articles later this week, and that a trial could take place under the current Republican majority or next year when Democrats take control.
