Rep. Massie Forces Vote to Impeach Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth

For Immediate Release Contact: massie.press@mail.house.gov Contact #: 202-225-3465 Washington, D.C.- Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) announces he is forcing a vote in the House of Representatives to impeach Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth. Among his charges, Rep. Massie asserts that Secretary Hegseth is operating in contravention of three specific provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Representative Massie is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. "By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable," said Rep. Thomas Massie . "Secretary Hegseth's constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran. He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech. If we are to remain true to our oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States,' Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegseth's unconstitutional and illegal actions." Rep. Massie will force the House to vote on eight specific charges against the Secretary of Defense. The charges are summarized as follows: Article I - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 2(c): Charges Secretary Hegseth with waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat. It establishes that the war was unlawful from its inception. Article II - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 5(c): Charges Secretary Hegseth with continuing the Iran war after both Houses of Congress directed the removal of U.S. forces through H. Con. Res. 86. It focuses on his refusal to obey Congress’s express direction to terminate unauthorized hostilities. Article III - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 5(b): Charges Secretary Hegseth with continuing hostilities in Iran after expiration of the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day termination period and any potential 30-day withdrawal period. It establishes that he treated mandatory statutory deadlines as discretionary. Article IV - Ignoring Laws that Minimize Civilian Casualties: Charges Secretary Hegseth with ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties. Article V - Extrajudicial Killings: Charges Secretary Hegseth with replacing maritime law enforcement with unauthorized lethal military targeting of suspected drug traffickers, resulting in at least 221 deaths. It also addresses denial of quarter, secondary strikes on survivors, failure to rescue shipwrecked persons, and the creation of artificial legal authorities for the campaign. Article VI - Suppressing Free Speech: Charges Secretary Hegseth with using DOD authority to retaliate against and intimidate Senator Mark Kelly for constitutionally protected speech questioning unlawful military orders. Article VII - Kidnapping of a Sovereign Foreign Leader: Charges Secretary Hegseth with directing Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE to seize Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela without constitutional or legal authority. Article VIII - Unlawful War in Yemen: Charges Secretary Hegseth with initiating Operation ROUGH RIDER without congressional authorization or an imminent threat to the United States, while also violating war powers reporting requirements. It further addresses extensive civilian deaths and unlawful strikes on civilian objects, rescuers, and other protected persons. The text of the charges against Secretary Hegseth is available at this link . ###