Hegseth impeachment vote forced by Republican Massie

A Hegseth impeachment vote could reach the floor of the US House of Representatives this week after Republican congressman Thomas Massie formally introduced articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday. Massie accuses Hegseth of breaking the US Constitution by waging war on Iran for more than 90 days without approval from Congress, the BBC reported.

The move starts a 48-hour clock for the House to deal with the resolution. Lawmakers can vote on it directly, send it to a committee or vote to set it aside.

Why Massie is pushing the Hegseth impeachment

Massie, a Kentucky Republican, said that by keeping US forces in hostilities with Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorisation, Hegseth was breaking the law and had to be held accountable. He told reporters he was acting because it was "the right thing to do".

The congressman first filed impeachment articles in September. He brought them back after last week's midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate. Massie himself lost his re-election race earlier this year and has been a frequent critic of President Donald Trump and of the war with Iran, which began nearly nine months ago.

His stated aim is tactical. Massie said he hopes the pressure will push Trump to name a replacement who could be confirmed quickly while Republicans still hold the Senate. He described his effort as a "much gentler version" of what Democrats could do once they take control in January, when he expects hearings and trials.

Hegseth and Trump hit back

Hegseth has called the effort a "sham". In a video statement last week he said critics attack him because the administration is effective, and he called Massie a "disgruntled, defeated congressman". Asked about the move on Monday, he said: "We're not worried about that." He planned to hold a news conference on Tuesday.

Trump has said he will stand by his defence secretary. Speaking at the White House on Monday, he praised Hegseth's role in the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and in the Iran war, and said soldiers "love Pete Hegseth". The president has recently signalled progress in talks with Tehran, as covered in our report that the Iran war is effectively over, according to Trump.

Will it pass?

Opinions differ. The BBC said the effort is likely to fail because Republicans control Congress until January. Massie himself said he was not sure he had enough support. Even with every Democrat on board, he would probably need some Republican votes, since the party holds only a slim House majority. Peter Loge, a professor at George Washington University, told the BBC he thought it was likely to pass because of those narrow margins.

Here is how the process works:

• The House needs a simple majority to impeach.
• The Senate then holds a trial and needs a two-thirds vote to convict and remove.
• Only two cabinet members have ever been impeached by the House, and the Senate convicted neither.
• From January, Democrats are expected to hold at least 54 Senate seats, still short of the 60 needed to convict if all 100 senators vote.

Northwestern University law professor Paul Gowder told the BBC that impeachment has become far more common since the 1998 case against Bill Clinton, as US politics has grown more polarised. He predicted that more of Trump's cabinet could face impeachment over the next two years.

Why it matters beyond Washington

The Hegseth impeachment fight is tied directly to the Iran conflict, which has been blamed for higher fuel costs in Asia, including by the operator of a round-the-world cruise ship that halted its voyage in Cambodia last month. A change at the Pentagon, or a tougher Congress after January, could shape how the war ends. Readers can catch up on the political shift in our coverage of Trump's midterm defeat and the full US midterm results.

The original report is available from BBC News.

Image: Official portrait of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who faces the Hegseth impeachment push in the House. Photo by the US Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.