Republicans leave door open for Hegseth impeachment as vote nears

Since his bruising defeat to Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been on a warpath against the administration.

Massie's crusade to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth for the Iran conflict, Maduro arrest, and boat strikes on suspected drug smugglers is welcomed by Democrats, including likely incoming Speaker of the House Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). It's also finding favor among some Republicans.

'I’m a hard Yes on the Hegseth resolution.'

Massie's resolution draws on Democrat rhetoric regarding President Donald Trump's foreign policy. He accuses Hegseth of "kidnapping" former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, slams him for "failure to provide timely rescue for" alleged drug traffickers amid last year's boat strikes, and concludes that the secretary of war is a general "threat to civilians."

The outgoing anti-Trump Republican ends his impeachment resolution by demanding Hegseth be stripped of office and barred from future office by virtue of alleged "high crimes and misdemeanors."

Democrat leadership is all-in on Massie's effort.

“I’m a hard Yes on the Hegseth resolution. The so-called Secretary of Defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe," Jeffries told ABC on Sunday. "Pete Hegseth has got to go.”

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Some Republicans are hopping aboard the impeachment bandwagon.

"Well, you know, I want to hear the debate on it to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president if he’s not getting the job done in leading the Department of War," Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) told CBS on Sunday. "That’s the issue."

Hill won midterm re-election by just 1.74 points, down from a 17.86 point victory in 2024.

Four unnamed House Republicans indicated that the impeachment resolution will pass when brought forward, according to Fox News.

"He's screwed," one anonymous representative said.

Other retiring Republicans are using their last days in office to join the pile-on.

“Hegseth doesn’t have a lot of friends on the Hill," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Fox News on Thursday. "I do think we could have more qualified leaders.”

“He needs to go, whether it’s impeachment or the most expedient route — just the president to replace him — would be great," outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in September.

Tillis also called his vote to confirm Hegseth his "biggest regret" in his memoir, "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents."

In a Sunday interview with Ross Douthat on "60 Minutes," President Trump defended Hegseth's performance and reaffirmed his confidence in the secretary of war.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Blaze News:

“Secretary Hegseth will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists. The Department of War has followed the law and our secretary will continue to stand and fight every single day to support and defend the Constitution, lead our troops, and protect America."

"We will continue to drive President Trump’s agenda at the Department of War — despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats — and Secretary Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the department until the end of President Trump’s term in office," Parnell said.

When reached for comment, Massie's office referred Blaze News to a Monday X post doubling down on his impeachment resolution.

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