A Republican representative expects Hegseth to be removed before the end of the year: Democrats will not be polite to him...and Trump responds

(CNN) - Republican Representative Thomas Massie predicted, on Monday, that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will not complete the year in his position at the helm of the Pentagon, hours after he presented eight articles of impeachment.

"I remain very likely that Pete Hegseth will not continue in office until December 31st of this year," Massey told CNN's Kaitlan Collins on The Source.

The outgoing lawmaker also argued that impeaching Hegseth now would be "polite" compared to what Democrats will do when they take control of the House in January.

"I'm not suggesting he should go to prison, I'm not suggesting he face civil liability," Massie said. "All we're saying is he should leave office immediately. When the Democrats take office in January, they're not going to be as polite as I am now. Look, they're going to be holding hearings in the House, and they're going to subpoena people who served under Hegseth; people who witnessed things and know details that haven't been made public yet."

Massie also predicted that Republican lawmakers - whether those leaving Congress or those who narrowly won their races - may vote against their party's direction in the impeachment vote.

“They sensed their political end on November 3rd,” Massey said, adding that he expected a vote Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

For his part, Trump responded to the Republican representative's statements, via the "Truth Social" platform, saying: "The defeated Republican Congressman Thomas Massie - who is a failure by all standards - is trying to seek to remove Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, who is considered perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the country."

The US President added: “With recruitment rates reaching their highest levels ever - after they were at their lowest levels during the era of “Sleepy Joe Biden” - and achieving two victories in Venezuela and Iran, Pete Hegseth deserves praise, not removal. Members of Congress, defend Pete!