Hegseth fights back as Massie plans new impeachment vote

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected a renewed push to remove him from office on Thursday. He argued that the campaign is a political move designed to damage his standing rather than a serious procedural effort.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, announced on Wednesday that he intends to reintroduce impeachment articles as soon as the House reconvenes. Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Washington on Monday. Massie stated that Hegseth’s resignation is the only action that would stop him from filing the new measure.

In a social media video that ran for more than five minutes, Hegseth compared the current effort to the two impeachments of President Donald Trump. He expressed confidence that this campaign would fail just as the previous ones did. The defense secretary only briefly addressed the Iran war in the video. That conflict has fueled the impeachment push and contributed to Republican losses in this week’s midterm elections.

Massie, who lost his Republican primary after breaking with Trump, asked the president to choose a replacement for Hegseth while Republicans still control the Senate. On the social platform X, he described his resolution as a gentler alternative to the hearings and trials he said would occur under Democratic control of Congress.

Trump has publicly supported his defense secretary. On Wednesday, he said he had no plans to replace Hegseth. On Thursday, he praised Hegseth’s performance and suggested that opposition stemmed from his decisions, including the removal of military leaders. However, two people familiar with the conversations told NBC News that Trump has privately discussed replacing Hegseth with some allies and asked for successor recommendations.

Democratic victories have led to fresh calls for Hegseth’s departure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is positioned to become the next speaker, has expressed a desire to remove him. In September, Massie tried to force an impeachment vote, but House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana dismissed the chamber early, impeding the attempt. Passing the measure would require several Republicans to join every Democrat in supporting it.

Only two Cabinet officials have ever been impeached by the House. Alejandro Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary under former President Joe Biden, was impeached in a partisan vote. William Belknap, the secretary of war in the 1870s, was the other. The Senate has never convicted a Cabinet member.