Update, Nov. 10 at 5:15 p.m. Central: The House voted 211–204 Tuesday to send Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth back to committee, halting its progress on the floor. Massie was the only Republican to vote against the referral, Axios reported. The Associated Press also confirmed that the House turned aside the impeachment effort.
Update, Nov. 10 at 9:21 a.m. Central: Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort at a Pentagon press conference Tuesday morning. He argued that the charges reflect disagreements over policy and fall short of the constitutional grounds for impeachment, The Associated Press reported.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, read eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor Monday, renewing a bid to force lawmakers to act on allegations tied in part to the U.S. war with Iran. The House has yet to impeach Hegseth.
What Massie alleges
Three of the eight articles concern the War Powers Resolution, according to Massie’s office. Massie argues that U.S. forces entered hostilities against Iran without a declaration of war or specific authorization from Congress. His earlier resolution, published in the Congressional Record, laid out the legal basis for that accusation.
The other articles raise allegations about civilian casualties, U.S. military operations outside Iran and the Pentagon’s efforts to discipline Sen. Mark Kelly. Massie first brought the charges forward in September. Reading them again on Monday put the proposal back before the House as lawmakers returned from their election recess.
What happens next
The move creates a procedural decision for House leaders. Lawmakers could vote to set the resolution aside or send it to committee before ever taking a vote on the charges themselves. The Associated Press reported that Republican leadership opposed the effort and that Hegseth defended his record after an appearance at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. He said he would address the issue further on Tuesday.
The impeachment push arrives as the House takes up other unfinished business, including a Dec. 11 government funding deadline. For Hegseth, the immediate question is whether the House will reach a vote on any of the charges or dispose of the resolution on procedural grounds.