Republican Thomas Massie files eight impeachment articles against Hegseth over Iran war

Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky, has introduced articles of impeachment targeting Pete Hegseth, the US Defense Secretary, citing the conflict with Iran, The Times of Israel reported. According to that report, Massie filed eight articles, charging that Hegseth conducted the war illegally because Congress never authorised it, and that he abused the powers of his office as head of the Pentagon.

The Jerusalem Post also reported that Massie had moved to impeach Hegseth. The Times of Israel noted that the move comes only days after President Donald Trump's Republican Party suffered what it described as a crushing defeat in the midterm elections, and said it could lead to a potentially explosive vote in Congress.

One lawmaker or several

The reports differ on who is behind the effort. The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Post both name Massie as the lawmaker taking the step. The Hebrew-language outlet News.co.il reported that a number of Republican members of Congress had opened impeachment proceedings against Hegseth, without naming them. News.co.il also described the move as unusual for figures within the Republican camp. The reports available to us do not resolve whether Massie is acting alone or with co-sponsors.

News.co.il referred to Hegseth as the American "Secretary of War", while the English-language reports use the title Defense Secretary. Both refer to the same person and the same post at the head of the US military establishment.

A vote expected this week

According to News.co.il, an initial vote on the matter is expected to take place in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and Democrats are expected to back the move. Neither of the English-language reports gives a date for a vote or a forecast of how Democrats will act, so both of these points rest on the Hebrew report alone.

The timing matters because of the political backdrop described by The Times of Israel. A midterm election is the nationwide vote held halfway through a president's term, in which all House seats and a portion of Senate seats are contested. A heavy loss for the president's party can shift the balance of power in Congress and change how lawmakers from both parties approach the administration.

How impeachment works

Impeachment in the United States is a two-stage process, and News.co.il set out both stages. First, the House of Representatives votes on the articles of impeachment, each of which is a separate charge. A simple majority in the House is enough to approve at least one article and impeach the official.

Impeachment by the House does not remove anyone from office. If the House approves an article, the case moves to a trial in the Senate. There, News.co.il noted, a two-thirds majority of senators is required to convict and remove the official. The outlet said that, even if the House acts, the road to actual removal remains long.

Cabinet secretaries, like presidents and federal judges, can be impeached under the US Constitution. Removal of a cabinet official through this route is rare, and the high bar in the Senate is the main reason.

The war powers question

The core of Massie's case, as reported by The Times of Israel, is that Hegseth waged war without authorisation from Congress. Under the US Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress, while the president serves as commander in chief of the armed forces. Disputes over where one power ends and the other begins have surfaced repeatedly in American politics whenever US forces are sent into sustained combat without a formal vote by lawmakers.

For readers in Israel and across the Jewish world, the case touches directly on the US military campaign against Iran, Israel's principal regional adversary. A fight in Washington over the legality of that war, and over who controls decisions to use force, is closely watched in Jerusalem, where the United States is the country's most important security partner.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports includes a response from Hegseth, the Pentagon, the White House or Republican leaders in the House. They do not say how many lawmakers, if any, have joined Massie as sponsors, and they do not reproduce the text of the eight articles or the specific evidence offered for them. The expected Wednesday vote and the anticipated Democratic support are reported by a single outlet, and no report says what form that first vote will take.