Rep. Massie Tells Hegseth to Resign or Face Impeachment Articles Next Week as Republicans Blame the Iran War for the Midterm Rout, Washington Examiner Reports
The Kentucky Republican says the only way he skips reintroducing impeachment articles is if the war secretary quits. The Examiner says Trump publicly backs Hegseth while CBS sources say he is asking advisers about removing him.
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has given War Secretary Pete Hegseth an ultimatum: resign or face impeachment before this Congress ends, the Washington Examiner reports.
The ultimatum. Massie said Wednesday night that he will bring impeachment articles against Hegseth when the House returns next week, after telling CNN the same. On X he wrote: "There is one contingency in which I won't reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns." The Examiner says Massie had already said he planned to force a vote after the midterms, but that the idea carries new weight now that Republicans are blaming the Iran war for their losses.
The blame. The Examiner points to Vice President JD Vance, who wrote Wednesday that "the reason we lost is the war," and to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who said the war "has dragged on too long." It argues that Hegseth is an easy figure to blame because he oversees the military, and that Republicans may be wary of turning on Trump himself, who has two years left in office.
Trump's position. The Examiner says Trump said Wednesday he thinks Hegseth is "doing a great job." It adds that sources told CBS News the president is asking advisers about a possible removal. Trump had earlier warned Democrats against impeaching Hegseth.
Other critics. The Examiner notes that Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, is not the only critic. Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., has objected to Hegseth's firing of top generals and the departure of former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, issues the Examiner says go beyond the war.
Why it matters here. The impeachment push now comes from inside the party as well as from Democrats who promised subpoenas and investigations, which we covered earlier. Whether House Republican leaders would let articles reach a vote is not addressed in the report.
What we could not check. We did not see Massie's X post or his CNN interview, and we did not see the CBS News report. The claim that Trump is asking about removal rests on unnamed sources in that report.