The Pentagon on Tuesday dismissed Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s (KY-04) surprise articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as a political stunt, issuing a full-throated defense of Hegseth’s tenure and arguing that the department is stronger, more lethal, and more focused on warfighting than it was before President Donald Trump returned to office. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement:
"Secretary Hegseth has been a transformative leader for the Department of War. Standards and merit are back, our arsenal is stronger than ever before, and morale and recruitment across every service are at all-time highs. Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way. By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before. The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first."
Massie, a Kentucky Republican who notably lost his primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed challenger, introduced privileged articles of impeachment on the House floor Tuesday. He accused Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by conducting hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization. “By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said. He further alleged that Hegseth abused his office by ignoring congressional war powers, directing the seizure of a foreign leader, and retaliating against administration critics.
The resolution lists eight articles and, because it was filed as privileged, the House must act within two legislative days. Passage is considered highly unlikely in the Republican-controlled chamber. Members filed articles of impeachment against defense secretaries in 2004 and again in both 2023 and 2024, but those resolutions never reached the floor.
On the War Powers claim, the administration is using arguments that prior presidents of both parties have used. Clinton, for example, kept the Kosovo air campaign going past the 60-day mark; Obama said the Libya bombing campaign was not “hostilities” under the 1973 law; and Hegseth and the White House say cease-fire intervals pause or reset the clock and that the Iran campaign remains within the president’s commander-in-chief power.
The House is expected to dispose of the articles before lawmakers leave Washington for the pre-midterm recess.
Editor's Note: Thanks to President Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth's leadership, the warrior ethos is coming back to America's military.
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