House set to begin voting on Hegseth impeachment measure

The House of Representatives is set to begin voting Tuesday afternoon on a key procedural measure that could lead to the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The vote comes a week after Democrats trounced Republicans in the first congressional election since the war with Iran started in late February.

Hegseth faces eight articles of impeachment filed by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Monday.

Massie accuses Hegseth of waging war in contravention of Congress, carrying out extrajudicial killings tied to boat strikes in the Caribbean against purported drug smugglers and suppressing free speech by targeting Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a military veteran.

Hegseth earlier Tuesday railed against Massie and defended his leadership in the Iran war and other military operations.

"What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability. It's a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment," Hegseth said

"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it," Hegseth said.

Massie is a libertarian who lost his Republican primary in May after clashing with President Donald Trump.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is poised to be speaker of the House in the next Congress, on Sunday said Democrats are a "hard yes" on impeaching Hegseth. He reiterated his support on Monday at a news conference.

The House is set to vote Tuesday on a procedural motion related to the impeachment resolution. If it passes, the measure will proceed to a debate and vote. Impeachment resolutions are privileged, meaning the House must act on them, table them or vote to refer them to committee within two legislative days.

Hegseth accused Massie of performing a "stunt" that sends dangerous signals to America's enemies.

"It puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signaling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time," Hegseth said. "This is not patriotism. This is sabotage."

Trump piled on, writing in a Truth Social post right after Hegseth's presser ended that the Pentagon chief "gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!"

Trump, who was impeached twice during his first presidential term, said Monday that he would stand by Hegseth even if the House impeaches him.

Republicans hold a slim 218-214 majority in the House, but it is unclear if the rest of the GOP conference will be able to band together to defeat Massie's impeachment resolution. Some Republicans, notably including Vice President JD Vance, have directly blamed their midterm losses on the Iran war, which continues to see intermittent fighting amid an uneasy stalemate.

If Hegseth is impeached, the Senate would be tasked with holding a trial and voting on whether to remove him from office. A two-thirds majority is required for conviction and removal. No U.S. Cabinet secretary has ever been removed by the Senate, though two have been impeached.