A Republican congressman begins an impeachment to remove the US Secretary of War

The process to try to remove the Secretary of War of the United States, Pete Hegseth, took its first step in Congress this Monday after Republican Congressman Thomas Massie presented an impeachment resolution against the head of the Pentagon for his role in the Iran war. The initiative has the support of the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, and could be put to a vote this Wednesday.

Massie, a representative from Kentucky and critic of Donald Trump's Administration, has filed eight charges against Hegseth, focused mainly on the military offensive against Iran, although they also include US operations in Yemen and Venezuela. The congressman accuses the Secretary of War of having violated the powers of Congress by undertaking and maintaining military operations without the corresponding legislative authorization.

"By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without authorization from Congress, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," said Massie, who also accuses him of abusing his position and using the power of the Pentagon to intimidate critics of the Administration.

The initiative comes just a week after the legislative elections of November 3, in which the Republicans lost control of both Houses of Congress, amid discontent among the electorate with the war in Iran and its economic consequences. Although Democrats will assume control of the Legislature in January, the resolution must initially be voted on in a House still dominated by Republicans.

The Democratic minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, has announced that he will support Hegseth's dismissal and has accused the Secretary of War of having abused his power and promoting a "reckless and costly" war in Iran. For the impeachment to prosper in the House of Representatives, a simple majority will be necessary. An eventual impeachment would then require the support of two-thirds of the Senate.

For his part, Hegseth has downplayed the impeachment threat as political "noise." "If we want to debate the military actions carried out by the Trump Administration, I will be happy to do so all day," he said this Monday, while defending military operations against Iran, Yemen and Venezuela.