Johnson slams Pete Hegseth impeachment articles: ‘It’s a publicity stunt’

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) called Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) push to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth a “publicity stunt” after canceling Thursday’s votes and sending the House home a day early for its seven-week recess in the run-up to the midterm elections.“Let me talk about the impeachment vote, that’s ridiculous,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday morning. “It’s a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. It will immediately be tabled, of course, but we probably won’t do that today. We’ll probably do it when we come back. But it’s a stunt. Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job at the Department of War. We’re in the middle of international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security, and I think that’s how the members see this.”Johnson would need a simple majority to block the legislation from coming up for a vote. On Tuesday, 18 Democrats joined all Republicans to table Rep. Al Green’s (D-TX) latest impeachment of President Donald Trump. Articles of impeachment are privileged, meaning the House must take them up within two legislative days, but with the House skipping town early, they will not be able to vote on them until after Election Day.Massie’s move marks the latest tension between the Kentucky Republican and House GOP leadership, as he often votes against the party on major spending bills and has repeatedly voted to advance measures to end the war in Iran.READ THOMAS MASSIE’S EIGHT IMPEACHMENT CHARGES AGAINST PETE HEGSETHMassie filed eight articles of impeachment Tuesday over the war in Iran, the Trump administration’s arrest of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, strikes on alleged drug boats, and the war in Yemen. Massie also accused the defense secretary of ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties and suppressing free speech.Hegseth traveled to his district in May and campaigned with his primary opponent, Ed Gallrein, as part of the push from the Trump administration to unseat Massie, who has frequently been a thorn in the administration’s priorities. The primary, which Gallrein won by about 10 points, was the most expensive House primary on record, aided by a $7 million surge from Trump-affiliated organizations and pro-Israel lobbyist funds amounting to $9 million.