Thomas Massie Seeks Impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth After GOP Election Losses

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced a resolution in the U.S. House on Monday, Nov. 9, seeking the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move comes as Hegseth faces growing criticism over his handling of the war against Iran and as members of President Donald Trump’s administration face pressure following Republican losses in the midterm elections.

The conflict in the Middle East and its effects on the U.S. economy have been cited by members of the Republican Party as factors behind Democrats’ gains. The election losses cost Republicans control of Congress and intensified efforts to assign responsibility for the result, putting Hegseth’s leadership at the center of criticism.

Hegseth played down the possibility of leaving his post and said he would defend the administration’s military decisions. Speaking to reporters Monday after an address at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island, he linked criticism of his leadership to political disagreements over the outcomes of military operations. He said questioning the operations meant questioning the troops and what he described as their historic achievements.

Hegseth named Operation Epic Fury, the Rough Rider operation and the capture of Nicolás Maduro. The operations refer, respectively, to the U.S. military offensive against Iran, strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuela’s former president. Hegseth also announced that he would hold a news conference Tuesday, Nov. 10. It will be his first in more than 180 days; his previous news conference was in May, before criticism mounted over the Pentagon’s role in the Iran war and other U.S. military operations.

The Iran offensive became one of the main sources of political strain for the Trump administration during the midterm elections. Rising prices for fuel, airline tickets and other goods put pressure on household budgets and contributed to dissatisfaction with the White House’s economic policies. Trump acknowledged that the war affected the election results, particularly because of higher fuel prices, but said he would make the decision to launch the operation again. Vice President JD Vance also cited the conflict as one reason for the Republican defeat. Fighting continues at a lower intensity despite an unsuccessful cease-fire attempt.

Hegseth characterized criticism of his leadership as politically motivated and said he was not concerned about the possibility of being removed from office. He said people could have substantial policy disagreements, but argued that their objections were directed at the administration’s success. He added that his team was not worried about the criticism and said he had told troops not to be distracted by it. Hegseth again defended the military operation as necessary to prevent Iran’s government from developing a nuclear weapon. He said the U.S. government had to choose between acting against Tehran’s nuclear program and waiting in the hope that the threat would disappear.