Republican Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday. Massie accuses Hegseth of abusing his office by executing orders for hostilities against Iran without seeking approval from Congress.
Massie argued that the defense secretary violated three provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, describing these actions as unlawful orders and high crimes and misdemeanors. In addition to the unauthorized war, Massie accused Hegseth of suppressing free speech and violating the constitution through his handling of civilian deaths in conflicts worldwide.
The resolution marks a striking instance of a member of President Donald Trump’s own party publicly condemning one of his top Cabinet officials. Massie has emerged as an outspoken critic of the war on Iran and other overseas military interventions.
The proposal may put House Republicans in a bind just weeks before the November 3 midterm elections, where they are defending their control of Congress. Massie, an iconoclastic lawmaker, lost his primary earlier this year after Donald Trump and Hegseth urged voters to oppose him.