Republican congressman Thomas Massie launched impeachment proceedings on Monday against US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of illegally waging war on Iran and committing other serious abuses.
Announcing the move on the House floor, Massie said Hegseth had acted in a way that betrayed the trust placed in him as defence secretary and had harmed “the cause of law and justice” as well as the American people.
Massie, a frequent Republican critic of President Donald Trump, set out the accusations in a resolution that has little chance of ultimately removing Hegseth from office.
The Kentucky lawmaker claims Hegseth broke the law by prosecuting the war against Iran without first obtaining approval from Congress.
He also accuses him of disregarding laws intended to reduce civilian casualties, highlighting in particular the bombing of a primary school in Minab, southern Iran, in the early hours of the conflict, which he says killed 120 children.
The resolution further alleges “extrajudicial executions.” Under Hegseth’s leadership, the US military carried out strikes against alleged drug traffickers’ boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, an operation that has drawn heavy criticism under international law.
Massie also denounces what he describes as “the abduction of a sovereign foreign leader,” referring to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
Although Republicans suffered a heavy defeat in last week’s midterm elections, they retain control of both chambers of Congress until January.
The impeachment measure is expected to go to a vote in the House of Representatives this week. It could potentially pass because of opposition to Hegseth among some Republican lawmakers and expected absenteeism within the party’s ranks in the coming weeks.
If approved, Hegseth would be formally impeached but would not be removed from office immediately.
A trial would then be held in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be required to convict and remove him.
That outcome appears unlikely, as Republicans still hold 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Even after newly elected members are sworn in in January, Democrats would still need around 10 Republican senators to support removal.
Hegseth has strongly rejected the accusations.
“They attack me, they attack us, because we are effective,” Hegseth said in a videotaped message on Thursday, in which he defended the war in Iran as a “courageous and historic” action. “It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me,” he added.
The defence secretary is due to hold a rare press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday morning.
