Thomas Massie touts poll showing slight majority support Hegseth impeachment

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) touted a new poll showing just over half of respondents support impeaching War Secretary Pete Hegseth for launching a war with Iran without seeking congressional authorization.Fifty-one percent of registered voters said they support Hegseth’s impeachment, compared to 34% of registered voters who oppose it. The remaining 15% said they were unsure. The findings were unveiled in the latest Economist/YouGov poll released Tuesday.Taking party identification into account, more Republicans oppose the impeachment push than Democrats and independents combined. Meanwhile, Republicans who support impeachment are greatly outnumbered by Democrats and independents who answered the same. Additionally, 2024 voters for President Donald Trump were far less likely to support and more likely to oppose Hegseth’s impeachment than those who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris two years ago.The poll results come a week after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) sent congressmen home until six days after the midterm elections. The speaker’s decision came shortly after Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth.“This is why [Johnson] adjourned Congress to avoid the vote and why the president isn’t defending [Hegseth],” Massie said of the new poll.While Trump hasn’t directly commented on Massie’s impeachment resolution against Hegseth, Johnson and Attorney General Todd Blanche have firmly defended the Cabinet secretary as the U.S. war in Iran remains unresolved.The international conflict is becoming more unpopular as it nears the seven-month mark.The poll shows 59% of respondents saying starting a war with Iran was the wrong decision in hindsight, while only 24% say it was the right decision. A strong majority, amounting to 63%, also supports ending the war as quickly as possible. Only 15% disagreed.Trump continues to defend U.S. involvement in the Iran war, dedicating part of his United Nations General Assembly speech to the topic.JOHNSON SLAMS PETE HEGSETH IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES: ‘IT’S A PUBLICITY STUNT’Although the survey reflects growing dissatisfaction with Hegseth among a slight American majority, it’s unlikely the Republican-led House will successfully vote to impeach him. The articles would need to pass before the start of the 120th Congress in January 2027. That gives the lower chamber less than two months to advance the impeachment charges to the Senate, which would also need to approve them if the House takes action.The Economist/YouGov poll surveyed 1,401 registered voters from Sept. 18 to 21, with a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.