Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth‘s tenure has been tumultuous, and now he could be facing the boot.
A former ally has made a noteworthy move to have him removed from his position. If he succeeds, Hegseth could exit amid ongoing conflict with Iran and controversy at home in the U.S.
However, Hegseth may have time on his side with the approaching deadline.
Nonetheless, outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is fed up with Hegseth.
Massie, who lost his primary this summer after President Donald Trump endorsed another candidate, filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth Tuesday.
Massie stood before the House and accused the former Fox News weekend anchor of “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
“Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2A1 of rule 9, I seek recognition to give notice of my intent to raise a question of the privileges of the House. The form of the resolution is as follows. This is the case,” the Kentucky Republican began.
In his House Resolution, Massie listed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. They include declaring and waging war on Iran without Congressional approval. Article IV accuses Hegseth of “IGNORING LAWS THAT MINIMIZE CIVILIAN CASUALTIES.”
Article V on “EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS” is in response to President Donald Trump and Hegseth’s attack on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean. Trump and Hegseth have killed hundreds in the strikes over the past year and a half while offering the rationale that these were lawful measures taken against “narco-terrorists.”
Article VI accuses Hegseth of “SUPPRESSING FREE SPEECH” in his attempts at pursuing charges against former astronaut Sen. Mark Kelly. The Arizona Democrat got on Hegseth’s bad side after he and other lawmakers encouraged military members not to follow illegal orders.
“In all of this, Secretary Hegseth abused the powers of the Department of Defense by retaliating against and attempting to intimidate a sitting United States Senator through threats of punishment for speech protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, in an effort to deter that Senator from fulfilling his constitutional role in overseeing the Executive Branch,” Massie said in the House Resolution.
The seventh article of impeachment charges the Defense Secretary with the “KIDNAPPING OF A SOVEREIGN FOREIGN LEADER.” This article refers to Trump and Hegseth’s operation in January, where the administration arrested former Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro and his wife.
They brought the Maduros back to New York to stand trial, but they left his vice president in place to run the country while they sought the nation’s oil supplies.
The last article charges Hegseth with an “UNLAWFUL WAR IN YEMEN.” Massie estimated as many as 224 civilians and as many as 600 Houthi fighters died when Hegseth launched a 52-day attack in March of 2025.
Social media erupted in cheers and support for Massie.
“THANK YOU!!! From the whole world.” A Threads user proclaimed.
Plenty of other chimes in, commenting “Finally!” and “About. Damn. Time.”
Another agreed it’s time to boot Hegseth. “Yes, get him out of here!”
Massie’s impeachment filing against Hegseth comes after a damning new report by the Pentagon’s Inspector General showing the massive costs of Trump and Hegseth’s war on Iran.
Hegseth admitted to Congress last month that the true cost of the war is more than $42 billion, up $4.5 billion from his previous estimates, according to The Hill.
In fact, one expert the news outlet spoke to estimated the true cost at upwards of $100 billion.
Costs include damaged and destroyed aircraft, ships, and equipment. The Daily Beast reported more than $22 billion has been spent on munitions amid fears of depleted stockpiles
The report also only covers a four-month period after Trump and Hegseth launched the war on Feb. 28. It estimated the cost between February and June at $33.4 billion.
The expensive and mounting losses include four F-15 fighter jets, a dozen KC-135 refueling planes, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft, and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, according to the Daily Beast. Each drone cost $30 million.
The report did not include the soaring price of gas and diesel, another massive cost of Trump and Hegseth’s war. Gas is averaging $4.32 a gallon, according to Triple A, and diesel is averaging a record $6.26 a gallon.
Axios reporter Andrew Solender said in a post on X that a vote on Massie’s impeachment filing needs to happen before Sept. 17 “unless GOP leadership cancels the week early.”
