A Republican congressman has moved to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of waging an unconstitutional war against Iran and disregarding civilian casualties in military operations. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the most prominent dissenting voices within his own party, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth on the floor of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, potentially forcing a vote within days.
In his remarks, Massie accused Hegseth of deploying US military force without seeking congressional approval as required under the War Powers Act, carrying out extrajudicial killings, and showing a "profound disregard" for the impact of military operations on civilians. "Secretary Hegseth abused the powers entrusted to him as secretary of defence by subordinating the constitutional limits on the use of military force and the laws governing the conduct of hostilities to his own policy objectives," Massie told the House. Hegseth has previously drawn criticism for dismissing protections designed to minimise civilian casualties as "stupid" and "politically correct" rules of engagement.
The Pentagon swiftly pushed back, with press secretary Kingsley Wilson stating that "the entire Department is unified behind the Secretary's vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first." White House counsel Todd Blanche also said Hegseth was "not doing anything wrong."
The resolution faces long odds of success in the Republican-controlled House and is widely considered a symbolic gesture. Nevertheless, it carries political weight by placing lawmakers formally on record regarding Hegseth's conduct and the now seven-month-old US war against Iran. A recent poll found fewer than a third of Americans support the conflict, though most Republican voters back it. Massie is among a small number of right-leaning figures — including media personality Tucker Carlson — who have grown increasingly critical of what they see as an interventionist shift in the Trump administration's foreign policy, a stance that has come at a personal cost: Massie lost his primary election in May to a Trump-backed challenger, amid heavy spending by pro-Israel groups.
The impeachment bid underscores deepening tensions within the Republican Party over the scope and legality of the Iran war, and raises broader questions about congressional oversight of military force — a debate that has resurfaced repeatedly in American politics since the post-9/11 era.