House Moves to Impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

House Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, is forcing a vote this week on a resolution to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The effort has gained bipartisan momentum following midterm elections in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate, a result partly attributed to an unpopular war in Iran championed by Hegseth.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has declared himself a "hard yes" on the vote, accusing Hegseth of abusing his power and engineering a "reckless and costly war of choice in Iran" that undermined national security and increased costs for Americans. Massie's privileged resolution contains eight articles of impeachment, including allegations that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and leaked war plans to reporters.

President Donald Trump has consistently defended Hegseth, calling the impeachment efforts "extortion at the highest level" and stating he has every intention to keep the secretary in his post. Hegseth has dismissed the proceedings as "political theater" and the "politics of personal destruction."

While the House may impeach, removal from office would require a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a threshold currently considered difficult to achieve. Some Republicans have expressed concerns over the conflict in Iran but have not explicitly endorsed the impeachment measure.