GOP Rep. Thomas Massie Moves to Impeach Pete Hegseth

The cracks within the GOP are continuing to deepen. This was on full display early this week when a Republican congressman announced a surprise push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Is Hegseth's job truly in trouble, or is this move purely symbolic? Read on for the latest happenings on Capitol Hill.

Lame Duck Representative Introduces Impeachment Articles on Hegseth

Hours before House Democrats were set to bring forth a symbolic vote to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, GOP Rep. Thomas Massie made a play to impeach Hegseth. While both of the plans to impeach Trump and Hegseth will certainly fail, the signal from Massie is yet another demonstration of the growing rift within the GOP.

Massie did not simply float the idea of impeachment. He produced pages of legal arguments stating his case to introduce the articles of impeachment against the top leader at the Department of Defense. Massie confirmed on Tuesday that he did not alert his party leaders about his plans to remove Hegseth from office

When speaking to reporters, Massie said that he did not give anyone a heads-up, detailing, "When they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of Congress, and I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days."

Massie is a sitting duck congressman after losing his primary last spring to an opponent backed by Trump. The representative from Kentucky had been one of the few GOP leaders to frequently vote against Trump.

While Republican leadership is not pleased with Massie's decision to push for impeachment without notifying them, the Democrats are also unhappy with Rep. Al Green for forcing the impeachment vote against Trump. Like Massie, Green also lost his primary this spring and is on his way out of Congress.

Leaders of both parties are focused on trying to gain momentum heading into November's crucial midterm elections. The impeachment votes are simply a distraction from these initiatives.

In other words, the House now has to work through the pair of impeachments ahead of their planned seven-week recess. What is most unnerving to many in Congress is that the calls for impeachment have come from lame duck members.

What to Expect in the Coming Days

The House of Representatives voted to table the Trump impeachment resolution on Tuesday. It has not been announced when a vote will be held in the Hegseth matter.

Massie submitted a 34-page resolution, arguing that Hegseth continues to abuse his power. This alleged abuse is specifically happening in the context of the war with Iran. Massie read his resolution on the House floor for hours on Tuesday.

According to Massie, Hegseth “has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law.”

U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended Hegseth when speaking to reporters at the White House Rose Garden on Tuesday. Blanche said that "Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the Secretary of War doesn’t just go off and do things. So, he follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the laws are complied with."

In addition to criticizing Hegseth for his handling of Iran, Massie also took issue with his handling of the situation in Venezuela and the capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro. Massie said that the Pentagon was not in the right to kidnap a sovereign foreign leader “under the guise of narcotics law enforcement, though in actuality intended to assert U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil reserves.”

When it comes to Trump's impeachment resolution, it may seem like a broken record at this point. Democrats have already impeached the president twice, dating back to his first term in office. These attempts were unsuccessful, despite the party having the majority in the House.

As such, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has been laser-focused on keeping his party beating the drum of the lagging economy and the cost of living heading into the midterms rather than impeachment. Democratic leadership believes that their path to victory in November goes through the battleground states and voters who are not happy with Trump's handling of the economy. Jeffries and his team do not want to alienate voters who might still be on the fence with more impeachment dramatics.

Jeffries issued a joint statement along with his leadership team on Monday night explaining that they will vote "present" in the Trump procedural impeachment vote. This means that they are not committing to either a yes or no vote.

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