‘Murder of civilians’: Republican congressman files resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth over Iran war

Updated November 10, 2026 — 7:16am,first published 6:41amWashington: Republican congressman Thomas Massie filed a resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth, arguing the defence secretary abused the power of his office by waging war against Iran without congressional approval and in the absence of an imminent threat.Massie, who has split from President Donald Trump and the administration on several key issues, began reading the impeachment resolution in the House of Representatives on Monday afternoon (US time).Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, filed an impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth.BloombergHe accused Hegseth of violating multiple sections of the War Powers Resolution of 1973, ignoring laws that minimise civilian casualties, and executing extrajudicial killings of people on boats alleged to be carrying drugs.Hegseth breached the War Powers Resolution because he “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders to initiate war against a foreign nation [Iran]” without authorisation by Congress, Massie alleged.The defence secretary continued to break the law by ignoring a congressional resolution directing the president to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran, Massie said.Massie also accused Hegseth of ignoring laws that minimise civilian casualties, citing the death or injury of more than 200 civilians at the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran on the first day of the war.Pete Hegseth in the Philippines last month, where he also met with Defence Minister Richard Marles.Getty ImagesHegseth directed the Defence Department in a manner that “foreseeably dismantled the safeguards necessary to distinguish civilian objects from military objectives”, he said.Massie read into the public record details of the Minab elementary school attack, for which the Pentagon has not admitted responsibility.The school was hit by three BGM-109 Tomahwak cruise missiles fired from US Navy warships, he said. They struck the school between 10.23am and 10.45am on a Saturday morning, while students were at the school.“Secretary Hegseth thereby effected the murder of civilians and abused the trust of the men and women under his command by requiring them to conduct military operations within a targeting and legal-review system that he had deliberately degraded,” Massie said.He told the House that Hegseth had acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law, and had demonstrated that he would remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.Republicans still control both chambers of Congress until January. The resolution could pass the House if a small number of Republicans join Democrats in voting to impeach Hegseth, though he would then have to be convicted in the Senate to be removed from office.Massie – who is retiring from Congress – had widely telegraphed his intention to reintroduce a resolution to impeach Hegseth following last week’s midterm elections.Hegseth has scheduled a news conference about the impeachment for Tuesday morning (US time), but briefly spoke to reporters while travelling on Monday.“If you want to take issue with what we did in [Operation] Epic Fury, or [Operation] Rough Rider, or nabbing [Venezuelan leader] Nicolás Maduro, you’re taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished,” he said.“Someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon, and for 47 years, no president was willing to do it. And then President Trump stood up and said, ‘Not on my watch’.”Trump said during an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday that Hegseth was doing a “great job” and it was “very unfair” to impeach him.More to comeGet a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.From our partners