With Republicans still licking their wounds from a disastrous midterm election, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) decided the GOP needs another headache: impeaching President Donald Trump’s Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Massie, frequently branded a RINO (Republican in Name Only) by Trump and MAGA loyalists, filed eight articles of impeachment Monday, November 9, accusing Hegseth of everything from illegally waging war to violating constitutional rights.
And if Democrats weren’t already celebrating their election victories, Massie decided to hand them another reason to pop the champagne.
However, the stunt didn’t go anywhere because the effort was stalled in the Republican-controlled House on Tuesday, November 10, when lawmakers voted 211-204 to send the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively shelving the measure.
Eight Articles, One Republican Target
But while Massie’s impeachment effort may have hit a brick wall in the House, his 34-page resolution laid out a laundry list of accusations against Hegseth that will most likely come up again in January when the Democrats have control of the House. Massie warned that his impeachment effort is “a much gentler version of what’s coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year. They will hold hearings and trials.”
Massie’s 34-page impeachment resolution lays out eight accusations:
- Illegal War in Iran: Launching military operations without congressional authorization or an imminent threat to America.
- Ignoring Congress: Continuing military operations in Iran after both chambers voted to withdraw American forces.
- Overstaying War Powers Limits: Continuing the Iran conflict beyond the statutory 60-day deadline and potential 30-day extension.
- Civilian Casualties: Dismantling civilian-protection safeguards, allegedly contributing to a deadly Iranian school strike.
- Extrajudicial Killings: Authorizing deadly strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats, allegedly killing at least 243 people without due process. (due process for these yahoos –that’s a laugh).
- Suppressing Free Speech: Allegedly retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) for questioning unlawful military orders.
- Kidnapping a Foreign Leader: Directing the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores without proper legal authority.
- Illegal War in Yemen: Launching military operations against the Houthis without congressional authorization or an imminent threat.
Massie’s advice to Trump? “President Trump should replace Secretary Hegseth now while he can still get a replacement confirmed in the Senate.”
According to Just the News, House Democratic leader (and the presumptive next Speaker of the House) Hakeem Jeffries supports impeaching Hegseth, which should be no surprise to anyone.
At a press conference recently, Hegseth said the impeachment effort was a “farce” and said about Massie, “It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment. Time for one man’s final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country, and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it.”
He added, “We will not apologize for putting American lives first. We will not apologize for stopping the flow of drugs that kill our citizens. We will not apologize for destroying the capabilities of a regime that chants ‘death to America.’”
Trump said on Truth Social, “Pete Hegseth gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”
For now, Massie’s impeachment effort is dead in the water, but with Democrats preparing to take control of Congress in January, Hegseth hasn’t heard the last of these accusations (and probably more). And thanks to Massie, Democrats already have a Republican-written roadmap for their next political battle with the Trump administration.
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