Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could face impeachment vote

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie is expected to launch an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his controversial leadership at the Pentagon and role administering the Iran war.Outgoing Rep. Massie could reintroduce a privileged resolution to impeach Hegseth as soon as Monday. Calls to impeach Hegseth have grown as several Republicans have attributed the GOP's sweeping midterm losses to the Iran war.Massie went through the process in mid-September only to be thwarted by Speaker Mike Johnson, who canceled the final scheduled day of legislative business before the midterm elections -- staving off a vote at the time."Here's the parliamentary reality of it. What Speaker Johnson has done, I believe, after talking to the parliamentarian, is I will have to refile the articles of impeachment when we get back,” Massie told ABC News on Sept. 16. "They will expire. Maybe they'll grow. Maybe he'll do something between now and the election that warrants another article, or and so I'll have to refile those when we get back."Rep. Thomas Massie speaks after losing the Republican party's nomination during an election night watch party at the Marriott Cincinnati Airport, May 19, 2026, in Hebron, Ky.Carolyn Kaster/AP PhotoAfter Massie reintroduces the resolution, the House must take up the measure within two legislative days -- forcing Republicans to go on the record defending Hegseth after suffering major losses in the 2026 midterm elections.So far, Massie has not amended the resolution, which includes eight articles of impeachment ranging from waging war without the consent of Congress to suppressing free speech.Massie, a conservative who has gained a reputation as a constitutionalist through his seven terms in the House, lost a primary earlier this summer after President Donald Trump endorsed his opponent.Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, October 30, 2026.Annabelle Gordon/POOL/EPA/ShutterstockIt's unclear whether an impeachment effort will succeed in the House, which is still under Republican control, but Massie told ABC News’ Jon Karl that he's confident there will be enough GOP defectors for it to pass. Massie needs a simple majority for the impeachment resolution to succeed in the House, meaning that just three Republicans need to vote with all Democrats to prevail.Popular ReadsIt doesn't appear that any Democrats will vote against the impeachment effort. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries came out in support of impeaching Hegseth saying on ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday that he's a "hard yes."GOP leaders could offer a motion to "table" the resolution rather than take a direct vote on the underlying measure. That would need to pass by a simple majority.House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer declined to back the Hegseth impeachment effort, but Massie volunteered that "there’s a lot of questions about" Hegseth, including the embattled secretary’s strategy in Iran."I will weigh the debate and make a decision," retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon told ABC News' Kyra Phillips on Friday when asked if he will vote to impeach Hegseth. "I do think the secretary has made some bad mistakes."Even if the measure passes in the House, it would still need approval by a two-thirds majority in the GOP-controlled Senate, a lofty threshold that's unlikely to be met.Trump has maintained that he has "every intention to keep" Hegseth atop the Pentagon.In a video posted Thursday, Hegseth proclaimed that he will not back down -- doubling down on the Iran war and his cultural agenda at the Pentagon while drawing a parallel to Trump."This is not about me, but of course the other side, they’re obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democratic allies has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly. Just like they tried against President Trump twice," Hegseth said in the video.