WASHINGTON — Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday and filed them as a privileged resolution, requiring the House to take them up within two legislative days.
Massie read the resolution on the House floor. He accuses Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors, centered on U.S. military operations in Iran that he says have continued without a declaration of war or specific congressional authorization required by the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
“By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said in a statement. He added that Hegseth’s alleged violations “extend beyond the illegal war in Iran” and include ignoring congressional resolutions, actions against foreign leaders, and retaliation against critics.
The resolution lists eight articles. The first three focus on the War Powers Resolution. Article I charges Hegseth with waging the Iran campaign without a declaration of war, statutory authorization, an attack on the United States, or an imminent threat. Article II accuses him of continuing operations after Congress passed H. Con. Res. 86 directing the removal of U.S. forces. Article III says he treated the law’s 60-day termination clock and 30-day withdrawal period as optional.
The remaining articles allege Hegseth ignored laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, oversaw unauthorized lethal targeting of suspected drug traffickers that Massie says resulted in at least 221 deaths, used Defense Department authority to retaliate against Sen. Mark Kelly for protected speech, directed Operation Absolute Resolve to seize Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores without legal authority, and initiated unauthorized operations in Yemen.
Operation Absolute Resolve took place in early January 2026. The Trump administration described it as a joint military and law-enforcement mission to apprehend Maduro, who faced U.S. federal indictments, not as a war or regime-change campaign. Hegseth publicly praised the operation at the time.
Massie, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, has long argued that Congress has allowed its war powers to atrophy. The House has passed war-powers measures related to Iran this year, with a small number of Republicans joining Democrats. The administration has maintained that phases of the conflict and a ceasefire reset legal clocks, a position Massie rejects.
Massie lost his May 2026 Republican primary to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL backed by President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly criticized Massie, calling him disloyal and one of the worst Republican members of Congress. Hegseth traveled to Kentucky before the primary and campaigned against Massie while describing himself as speaking in a personal capacity.
House Republicans can vote to table the resolution, which would prevent a full debate and recorded vote on the articles. Passage in the GOP-controlled House is considered unlikely. Democrats filed their own articles of impeachment against Hegseth in April. Those earlier articles also focused on the Iran campaign and related conduct.
The Pentagon did not immediately comment. Impeachment of a Cabinet secretary requires a majority in the House and a two-thirds vote in the Senate for conviction and removal. The House has used that power against a Cabinet official only twice in U.S. history.
Massie’s move comes as lawmakers again debate legislation to limit or end U.S. involvement in Iran, shortly before the midterm elections.
