Rep. Massie moves to impeach Hegseth over Iran war

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment on the House floor accusing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of illegally initiating and continuing the U.S. military campaign in Iran, defying congressional orders to withdraw, and causing unnecessary civilian casualties. Massie read the charges aloud after the chamber convened and framed them as high crimes and misdemeanors tied to the six‑month conflict. A longtime intra‑party dissenter who recently lost his primary to a Trump‑backed challenger, Massie has a record of working across the aisle on oversight matters, including forcing release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The move presents a fast political test: Republicans nominally have enough votes to defeat the impeachment resolution, but members in competitive districts face a complicated choice before the House must act by Thursday, then adjourn for a recess until after the midterms. The conflict is broadly unpopular domestically and has contributed to higher costs at home. The administration defends the campaign as necessary to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while outside experts say Iran was not close to a bomb before hostilities began. Pentagon spokespeople praised Hegseth as a unifying leader and said the Defense Department remains aligned behind him.