Massie Files Impeachment Against Hegseth Over Illegal War, Dead Children

Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, is facing eight articles of impeachment filed by a member of the House majority in his own party. The articles accuse him of running an illegal war in Iran, retaliating against a sitting senator for protected speech, and presiding over strikes that killed hundreds of civilians. On one of those counts, a federal judge has already ruled against him.

PROOF

Rep. Thomas Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday [S1][S2]. Three concern the Iran war and accuse Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by launching hostilities without evidence the United States faced an imminent threat, continuing after Congress passed a resolution ordering the conflict to end, and ignoring withdrawal deadlines Congress set [S2]. The articles claim Hegseth has "treated mandatory statutory deadlines as discretionary," [S2]

Two articles concern civilian deaths. One ties to the February 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School, alleging Pentagon officials ignored warnings about outdated intelligence in the lead-up to an attack that killed dozens of civilians, many of them children [S2]. That article states Hegseth "willfully and systemically refused to comply with laws and directives mandated for the protection of civilians during the commission of armed conflict, chilled and rendered ineffective such components to prevent and mitigate harm to civilians, and therefore, foreseeably effected the death and injury of over 200 civilians, to the manifest injury of the United States," [S2] A separate article covers strikes on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea that have killed more than 200 people, calling them "summary executions, carried out without any charges or convictions," [S2]

One article concerns Sen. Mark Kelly, and it is the one with a ruling behind it. A federal judge has already ruled that Hegseth acted unlawfully when he tried to strip Kelly of his rank and part of his military pension after Kelly reminded military members that they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders [S2].

The last two articles cover the operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, which Massie says was carried out "without constitutional or legal authority," [S1] and ongoing strikes in Yemen that "have killed civilians and were not authorized by Congress." [S2]

PUBLIC OPINION

Massie said Hegseth is "abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech." [S1] Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said, "I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country," [S1] and called on Trump to "find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it," [S1] Rep. Don Bacon told CNN, "I wouldn't hire him myself." [S1] Reason's Eric Boehm wrote that "Impeachment is the proper remedy for Hegseth's brazen disregard for civilians' lives and the limits of his own powers." [S2] President Trump has said Hegseth is "doing a fantastic job" in the role [S1].

BULLSHIT DEFENSE

Attorney General Todd Blanche said, "Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job" and went on to say that "the Secretary of War doesn't just go off and do things—he follows the law." [S1] A federal judge has already found otherwise on at least one count: Hegseth's attempt to punish Kelly for protected speech was ruled unlawful [S2]. "He follows the law" doesn't survive contact with a ruling that says he didn't.

Massie's own party controls the House. Whether they ever put this to a vote is entirely up to them.