Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) said Monday that the chances of the House voting to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are better following the Republicans’ sweeping midterm losses.
“I think the odds went up because of the election,” Massie told The Washington Sun. “There might be some members of Congress who want to put some daylight between themselves and the administration and this war, and this might be the most practical way.”
But he said he hasn’t spoken “to Republicans directly who are committed to supporting it.”
Massie said he expects to renew his impeachment effort on the House floor Monday afternoon after coordinating with House Republican leadership. The House could vote on the resolution as early as Monday night or later this week, he said.
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Under the procedure for privileged resolutions, House leaders must take up the matter within two legislative days, Massie said. Opponents could move to table the resolution, which is not debatable, or refer it to committee instead of voting directly on impeachment.
If the resolution survives both actions, or if leaders skip them, the House would vote on the articles of impeachment as soon as Monday.
“The ball is in their court once I give notice,” Massie said of House GOP leaders, “so they have two legislative days. They could deal with it tonight, tomorrow or the next day.”
The effort has gained momentum with House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who announced his support Sunday. Several Republicans have expressed reservations about the defense secretary’s leadership even as President Donald Trump is publicly standing by him.
“I’ve seen some of my colleagues say @SecWar Hegseth has been effective and they agree with the war, so they’ll vote not to impeach,” Massie said Monday in a post. “That’s not the question though. The question is whether he committed impeachable acts, and the answer is yes, eight times.”
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment in September, accusing Hegseth of constitutional violations and abuses of power, including prosecuting the Iran war without congressional authorization and conducting unlawful strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels.
The House never voted on the resolution after Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the remaining floor votes before the midterm recess.
Massie told The Sun he must restart the process because his September notice expired during pro forma sessions. He described the updated articles as “99.99% the same” with minor corrections.
The effort got a big boost Sunday when Jeffries announced his support.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe,” he said. “Pete Hegseth has got to go.”
Jeffries predicted strong support among House Democrats but said lawmakers would discuss the resolution when they meet Tuesday.
Some Republicans have also expressed concerns about Hegseth’s leadership, though few have publicly committed to supporting impeachment.
Rep. French Hill (R-Arkansas), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, on Sunday did not rule out supporting it.
“I want to hear the debate on it to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president if he’s not getting the job done in leading the Department of War,” Hill said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Hill said he was dissatisfied with the handling of the Iran war but said it would be up to the president to fire Hegseth.
“If you don’t think he’s done a good job conducting his job, that doesn’t mean per se that he’s committed an impeachable offense,” Hill said. “He’s an executive officer of the executive branch, and if he’s not conducting his mission in the right way, then the president ought to make a change there.”
Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky) also raised concerns about Hegseth on Friday, telling NewsNation that Republicans were questioning the Pentagon’s handling of the war.
“We have no idea what the strategy is moving forward in Iran. No one’s happy about Iran,” Comer said. “I think Republican voters are more upset about what’s going on in Iran than the Democrat voters.”
Massie called Comer’s remarks “significant” Monday, given the lawmaker’s role as chair of the House Oversight Committee.
Trump, however, has publicly stood by Hegseth, even as news reports suggest the president has privately explored replacing him. CBS News reported that Trump has asked advisers whether Hegseth should stay in the job and that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had been floated as a possible replacement.
“Look, we’ve won two wars. We’ve won Venezuela and taken out billions and billions and billions of dollars already,” Trump said in a “60 Minutes” interview. He added, “And we will be taking out many billions of dollars and get along very well. And, you could call it a territory, you could call it whatever you want.”
Hegseth has been publicly defending himself, releasing a video Thursday in which he accused Massie and Democrats of pursuing political revenge.
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction,” Hegseth said. “Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Whether Hegseth survives the impeachment bid this week, Democrats have vowed extensive congressional investigations when they take control of Congress in January — and if Hegseth remains in the job, a Democrat-led impeachment effort is likely.
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has said he would revive an oversight and investigations subcommittee if chosen to chair the full committee.
“Hegseth has ruled the Pentagon in an unbelievably arrogant way,” Smith said Friday on CNN’s “The Arena.” “He has really angered a lot of people — both Republicans and Democrats.”
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