War Secretary Pete Hegseth is staring down an impeachment vote that could hit the House floor within days.
And the man forcing the issue is not a Democrat.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky says he will revive eight articles of impeachment when lawmakers return for the lame-duck session — unless Hegseth resigns first.
Hegseth’s answer is unmistakable: He is not backing down.
Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported Saturday that the House could vote in the coming days:
In a video released Thursday, Hegseth defended the Trump administration’s Pentagon record, pointing to the removal of DEI policies, recruiting gains and the administration’s military posture toward Iran.
He accused a “disgruntled, defeated congressman” and Democrats of trying the same politics of personal destruction previously used against President Trump. Hegseth said it did not work against Trump and would not work against him.
The confrontation is arriving while Republicans still control the House.
Roll Call reported that Massie plans to bring the resolution back during the week of November 9, calling it a “week one” issue for the lame-duck session. Massie said the measure would be substantially the same package of eight articles he presented in September, though he was still considering whether to add more.
Massie put its chance of passage above 50 percent. His calculation is that Democrats are likely to support it and that some Republicans may be more willing to defect now that the midterm campaigns are over.
Member attendance could also matter in a closely divided chamber after an election, especially if defeated lawmakers do not return for every vote. That makes the head count less predictable than the party breakdown alone suggests.
Massie intends to present the resolution as a question of the privileges of the House. If the parliamentarian accepts that designation, House leaders would have up to two legislative days to schedule action.
Members could vote on the resolution itself or vote to table it. Either way, Massie is trying to force every House member to leave a public record.
Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill said Saturday that some senior Republicans are privately urging Trump officials to move Hegseth out before the vote, while the White House is standing by him:
The eight articles are allegations, not findings of guilt.
According to the Congressional Record, Massie told the House in September that the first three articles concern the 1973 War Powers Resolution and Hegseth’s role in military operations involving Iran. Massie argued that the administration lacked congressional authorization and disputed its interpretation of the time limits imposed by that law.
Other articles accuse Hegseth of disregarding protections for civilians, conducting unlawful operations against suspected drug-smuggling vessels and retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly over protected speech. Massie also cited military campaigns involving Yemen, Venezuela, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.
Those are Massie’s accusations, and the administration contests them. The floor record spans Iran, military operations, civilian protections and the Pentagon’s treatment of a sitting senator.
The resolution also revives an old constitutional fight over who controls the decision to wage war. Presidents of both parties have pushed broad executive authority, while members of Congress have repeatedly argued that the legislative branch surrendered too much of its power.
The Trump administration and the Pentagon reject Massie’s case.
The Associated Press reported that Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department followed the law and that Hegseth would not be deterred by politicians pursuing what the Pentagon considers baseless investigations. Parnell also said Hegseth remained fully committed to leading the department through the end of President Trump’s term.
President Trump backed his war secretary publicly, saying Hegseth had done a “fantastic job.” Trump pointed to the Iran campaign and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as accomplishments under Hegseth’s leadership.
The AP also reported that Hegseth is not currently being considered for Tennessee’s expected Senate vacancy, despite public speculation about that route. That closes off one rumored soft landing and sharpens the immediate choice between staying at the Pentagon, resigning or facing the House vote.
The Pentagon’s public posture is defiance, but criticism is now coming from inside the Republican Senate as well.
The calendar gives this fight another layer.
Massie has warned President Trump that replacing a Cabinet official would become much harder once the incoming Democratic Senate is seated. His message is that the impeachment resolution may be only a preview of the hearings and investigations Democrats launch next year.
Even if the House votes to impeach Hegseth, that would not automatically remove him.
The United States Senate explains that the House has the sole power to impeach, while the Senate holds the trial. Conviction requires a two-thirds Senate vote, and a conviction can remove the official and potentially disqualify him from holding federal office again.
That threshold is far higher than the simple majority needed in the House. A small Republican rebellion could help Massie win an impeachment vote, but removal would require an overwhelming bipartisan Senate coalition.
History shows the two chambers can reach very different conclusions. The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas by a one-vote margin in 2024, and the Senate later disposed of the charges without a trial.
So this may be politically explosive without being the end of Hegseth’s tenure.
Massie can force Republicans to go on record. Democrats can use the vote to open a new front against the Trump administration.
The timing makes the move look less like a sober search for facts and more like a lame-duck political ambush.
Hegseth has made his position unmistakable: He intends to keep leading President Trump’s Pentagon, keep fighting for the administration’s agenda, and make his critics take the vote in public.
Next week, the House may have to do exactly that.
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
The post Pete Hegseth Fires Back As Republican-Led Impeachment Vote Nears appeared first on 100PercentFedUp.com.
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