Against the backdrop of the war with Iran, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing efforts to impeach him launched by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, accusing him of waging war without authorization from Congress and abusing his powers. While House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced his support for the move, President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed their support for Hegseth. Although the Democrats won a majority in both houses of Congress, the minister's dismissal remains subject to the approval of two-thirds of the senators present.

Published on: 10/11/2026 - 00:25

Republican Representative Thomas Massie on Monday launched measures to remove US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against the backdrop of the war with Iran, in a move that may constitute a new setback for the administration of President Donald Trump, but it does not guarantee the dismissal of the minister despite the Democrats winning control of both houses of Congress in the midterm elections.

Massie, a representative from Kentucky, presented 8 items that included accusations against Hegseth, the most prominent of which were waging war without legal authorization from Congress and abusing his powers as Minister of Defense.

The House of Representatives, which is still controlled by Republicans, can begin voting on the impeachment procedures as of Wednesday, while a number of party representatives have expressed their willingness to potentially support the impeachment of Hegseth, who took office in early 2025.

On the other hand, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended his colleague during a visit to Paris on Monday, saying, “I think this is unfair. I think Pitt did a good job,” describing him as “very hardworking and smart.”

Rubio praised Hegseth's role in strengthening partnerships to confront drug cartels in the Americas, weakening the Iranian army, and supervising the operation during which former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was arrested.

The move comes after Democrats won a majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate during last week's midterm elections, amid popular anger over the war in Iran and high fuel prices.

However, the House of Representatives’ approval of the impeachment procedures will not automatically lead to the dismissal of Hegseth, as this requires his trial before the Senate and his conviction by a two-thirds majority, which is difficult to achieve even after the new members of Congress take office in early 2027.

"He must go"

Massie, known for his criticism of Trump and who lost the primary election to a candidate supported by the president, resorted to a special procedure requiring the House of Representatives to consider his request within two legislative days.

He said, "Minister Hegseth acted in a manner inconsistent with the trust placed in him as Minister of Defense," considering that he had caused "serious harm to the cause of truth and justice, and at the expense of the interest of the American people."

Massey accused the Defense Minister of waging war on Iran without authorization from Congress, and "ignoring laws aimed at reducing the number of civilian casualties," referring in particular to the bombing of a primary school in the city of Minab in southern Iran at the beginning of the war, which resulted in the killing of more than 120 children, according to Iranian authorities.

He also criticized Hegseth over what he described as “extrajudicial executions,” referring to US strikes targeting boats suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

The Pentagon rejected these accusations.

For his part, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to assume the presidency in January, announced his support for the impeachment measures.

Jeffries told ABC News on Sunday that the Secretary of Defense "abused his power, undermined our national security, and orchestrated this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran," adding, "Pete Hegseth must go."

Exclude

On the other hand, some Republicans have not decided their position, as Representative French Hill from Arkansas said that he would like to listen to the discussion before determining whether the accusations require impeachment procedures.

Under the US Constitution, the House of Representatives can bring impeachment charges by a simple majority, before referring the case to the Senate, where conviction and removal require the approval of two-thirds of the members present.

Democrats will need broad support from Republicans to remove Hegseth, despite having a majority in the Senate. In the history of the United States, only two government ministers were subjected to impeachment procedures, without the Senate dismissing any of them.

For his part, Hegseth described Massey's effort as "fabricated", and considered the Republican representative "complaining", while the Ministry of Defense announced that a press conference would be held by the minister on Tuesday.

Trump renewed his support for Hegseth on Monday, stressing that he had done a “very good job” and that he had “won” two wars in Venezuela and Iran.

He said during a press conference at the White House, "Yes, I will stand by him... He won two wars. He was the one who made the decisions."

As for Republican Representative Don Bacon, he expressed skepticism about Massey's justifications, but he considered that Hegseth deserved to be removed due to withholding aid to Ukraine and excluding about 80 high-ranking military officers or obstructing their promotions.

“There is a group of us talking about this issue,” Bacon told CNN, calling on the Defense Minister to resign.

France 24/AFP

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