Massie Files Eight Articles of Impeachment Against Hegseth; Trump Says He Will 'Stand By' Him Even if Impeached

Since the U.S. war with Iran began, now in its ninth month, the political cost has landed on the Republican Party. Last week's midterms cost the GOP control of Congress starting in January, and on Monday, Nov. 9, one of its own members tried to make the Pentagon chief pay for it.

Massie took the House floor and read aloud all eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. It took about an hour and twenty minutes. Because impeachment resolutions are privileged, the House must take up the measure within two legislative days.

What the articles allege

According to the resolution, the charges include three counts of waging war on Iran without congressional authorization. Others cover war on Yemen without authorization, disregard of laws meant to limit civilian casualties, and extrajudicial killings in strikes on alleged drug boats near South America.

The resolution also cites the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which Massie describes as a kidnapping without constitutional or legal authority. It further accuses Hegseth of suppressing free speech by targeting Sen. Mark Kelly and another lawmaker over a video telling service members they were not obliged to follow illegal orders.

Massie told reporters that Trump and Hegseth "didn't meet the requirements to take action without Congress." He added: "If this were in a courtroom, we wouldn't need witnesses. We wouldn't need to provide evidence." Those are his claims. No court or congressional committee has ruled on them.

On CNN's The Source, Massie said he was not arguing Hegseth had been ineffective. "He has been effective," Massie said, adding that Hegseth was "effective at killing 200 schoolchildren." That figure is Massie's own and is not established in the material at hand.

Trump's response

Trump went after Massie twice on Monday. In the White House briefing room he called him a "stone-cold loser" and said he would "stand by" Hegseth even if the House impeaches him. "He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won," Trump said.

That night he posted on Truth Social that Hegseth "should be praised, not Impeached," citing recruitment at an "ALL-TIME HIGH" and "TWO VICTORIES, Venezuela and Iran." He closed with: "Congress, stand up for Pete!!!" Hegseth shared a screenshot and replied, "Like you, we will never back down."

Trump's "victory" claim sits awkwardly beside the facts. The Iran war has no peace deal, and Trump himself said Iran "would love to make a deal." On Sunday he told Fox News that Hegseth was "one of the guys that was most responsible" for the war, according to The New Republic. Massie, for his part, lost his primary this year to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who then won the general election. Massie leaves office in January.

The vote count

Massie needs a simple majority. ABC News calculates that if every Democrat votes yes, three Republicans would be enough to pass it. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday on ABC's This Week that he is a "hard yes." "Pete Hegseth has got to go," Jeffries said.

Republican leaders have other options. Speaker Mike Johnson could try to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee instead of holding an up-or-down vote. Massie warned leadership against that, saying the issue required "a vote and rigorous debate." The Independent notes that a referral would bypass a floor vote entirely.

Several Republicans have attributed their party's midterm losses to the war, according to ABC News. Massie says that is the reason Hegseth should be gone before January. "My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much gentler version of what's coming when the Democrats assume control," he said in a press release. "They will hold hearings and trials. President Trump should replace Secretary Hegseth now while he can still get a replacement confirmed in the Senate."

Massie also told ABC's Jonathan Karl that he is confident enough Republicans will defect. He added that he hoped it would work "for his sake," because Democrats would bring in people who served under Hegseth and give them protection.

What Hegseth is doing

Hegseth spoke at the Naval War College in Rhode Island on Monday and defended his record. "If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider," he said, according to The Independent. He has called a rare press conference at the Pentagon for this morning, Nov. 10. It would be his first in more than 180 days, according to the Associated Press. He has not said what he will announce. Massie said last week that Hegseth could avert the vote by resigning.

What comes next

If the House passes the articles, the case goes to the Senate for trial. Republicans hold both chambers until Jan. 3. A House vote, or a move to bury the resolution in committee, could come as early as mid-week. Whichever way Johnson goes, every Republican member will have to be on the record on the Iran war a week after voters weighed in on it.