Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie seized the Home ground for greater than an hour Tuesday afternoon, launching a long-shot effort to question Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stemming from his controversial administration over the Pentagon, together with the conflict in Iran.
After sending a information launch asserting his intent to question Hegseth, Massie rapidly appeared on the ground the place he stood for greater than 67 minutes studying the sweeping 34-page decision with eight articles of impeachment aloud.
Rep Thomas Massie introduces a decision to question Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth in a speech on the ground of the Home of Representatives on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 15, 2026.
Home TV through Reuters
“Secretary Hegseth has acted in a way opposite to his belief as Secretary of Protection and subversive of constitutional authorities, to the nice prejudice of the reason for legislation and justice, and to the manifest harm of the folks of the US of America,” Massie learn from the decision, contending that Hegseth will “stay a menace to civilians and the legal guidelines of conflict, the integrity of United States diplomacy, and the Structure if allowed to stay in workplace, and has acted in a way grossly incompatible together with his duties and the rule of legislation.”
“Peter Brian Hegseth thus warrants impeachment and trial, elimination from workplace, and disqualification to carry and revel in any workplace of honor, belief, or revenue below the US,” the decision states.
The Pentagon responded to Massie’s transfer, defending Hegseth in an announcement to ABC Information.
“Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative chief for the Division of Struggle,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson mentioned within the assertion, later including that the “whole Division is unified behind the Secretary’s imaginative and prescient and can proceed working to place our warfighters and America first.”
The articles of impeachment in opposition to Hegseth embody ignoring legal guidelines that reduce civilian casualties, administering an “illegal conflict” in Yemen, ordering extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech and kidnapping a sovereign chief — alluding to the U.S. seize of Nicolas Maduro early this 12 months.
“Frankly, I used to be involved that Mike Johnson would finish Congress once more, like shorten even our already truncated work interval if he discovered I used to be doing this. So I shared the concept with no one,” Massie mentioned.
Massie, a conservative who has gained a popularity as a constitutionalist by his seven phrases within the Home, misplaced a major earlier this summer season after Trump endorsed his opponent.
It is unclear whether or not the vote will succeed, given Republicans’ slim majority within the Home. Speaker Mike Johnson can lose two Republican votes earlier than a 3rd defection upsets the bulk.
Until GOP leaders change the ground schedule once more, the Home should maintain a vote on the decision inside two-legislative days — by Thursday, which might power Republicans to go on the report defending Hegseth forward of the high-stakes midterm elections. GOP leaders might provide a movement to desk the decision or cancel the legislative session scheduled for Thursday to keep away from the vote.
Rep. Thomas Massie speaks with a reporter after introducing a decision to question Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill in Washington, September 15, 2026.
Evan Vucci/Reuters
Chatting with reporters afterward, Massie defined that he launched the articles of impeachment to position a “marker” in historical past on what he mentioned was each President Donald Trump’s and Hegseth’s “unlawful” conduct.
“Doing this wasn’t predicated on whether or not it might succeed or not; there must be a marker in historical past,” Massie mentioned. “The president has exceeded, and Secretary Hegseth particularly, in some ways himself, and typically directed by unlawful orders from the president, they’ve exceeded all norms for guidelines of engagement for the way you utilize or misuse our navy, to take oil from one other nation, to kidnap a overseas chief, like someone must put a marker in historical past, and that is what that is. Hopefully, it passes, they usually can litigate this within the Senate.”
Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth attends an honor cordon welcome ceremony for German Protection Minister Boris Pistorius on the Pentagon in Washington, September 15, 2026.
Mandel Ngan/AFP through Getty Photos
Massie additionally informed ABC Information he had waited till Tuesday as a result of it presents the final doable time to power consideration of a privileged decision Congress earlier than the midterms.
Massie added he felt he had exhausted all different legislative methods to stymie the conflict in Iran in addition to different overseas navy interventions.
“Why in the present day? As a result of Speaker Johnson has principally canceled the remainder of Congress till the elections,” Massie defined. “Two days from now could be the tip of our session earlier than we go on recess, and there generally is a vote inside two days. So I needed to do it in the present day.”
