Massie sees ‘high probability’ Hegseth resigns before Democratic hearings

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said War Secretary Pete Hegseth is more likely to resign by the end of the year than continue leading the Pentagon and be subject to Democrat-led hearings when the new Congress is sworn in.Massie told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins he is not surprised President Donald Trump has continued to support Hegseth, even after Massie introduced articles of impeachment against the war secretary on Monday. However, Massie said the move is familiar to the Trump administration.“They stand by them until the day they don’t,” he said. “You can’t expose any weakness in these press conferences, and they still put it at a high probability that Pete Hegseth won’t make it until Dec. 31 of this year.” Massie said he believes Hegseth will resign because Democrats are likely going to take a much more aggressive approach in January, calling his impeachment move “polite” in comparison.“Impeachment is actually kind of a polite thing,” Massie said. “I’m not proposing he go to prison. I’m not proposing that he be exposed to civil liability. We’re just saying you need to be out of a job right now.”“When the Democrats get control in January, they are not going to be as polite as I am,” the congressman said. “Look, they’re going to have hearings in the House. They’re going to bring in people who’ve served under Hegseth, people who’ve seen some things and know some things that aren’t even public yet, and they’ll be sworn in. They’ll have to testify against Hegseth, and then it’ll go to a trial in the Senate.”Massie also noted the challenge a Hegseth ouster poses for Trump, who will be responsible for appointing a leader of the War Department. He said anyone tapped by the president to lead will likely face an uphill battle to confirmation, as Democrats are not likely to support an appointee.“When Hegseth is no longer the secretary of defense, Donald Trump’s going to be looking at a Senate that’s not going to be very kind in terms of approving his nominations,” Massie said, noting that the president is better off removing Hegseth before Democrats take control.Hegseth is set to hold a press conference Tuesday morning at the Pentagon in which he will address Massie’s impeachment effort. Massie said the articles he introduced directly target Hegseth’s “effectiveness,” claiming the Cabinet official has been effective “in breaking the law and violating the Constitution.”MASSIE REINTRODUCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST HEGSETH. HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS NEXTMost of the eight articles detail Hegseth’s actions on recent military operations in Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela without prior authorization from Congress. They argue that the secretary’s usurping of Congress’s will, as outlined in the War Powers Resolution of 1973, amounts to high crimes and misdemeanors.Additionally, the articles allege that Hegseth’s desire to pursue a culture with “maximum lethality,” combined with other efforts he undertook to reduce the civilian harm mitigation office, has led to the unnecessary deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire from U.S. forces.