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Republican Rep. Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on the House floor on Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, reading the resolution aloud in a speech that lasted about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Massie said the measure challenges Hegseth’s role in the administration of the Iran war and argued that President Donald Trump and Hegseth “didn’t meet the requirements to take action without Congress,” according to remarks he made to reporters and to ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Massie said afterward that the resolution must be taken up because impeachment is a privileged matter and therefore must be brought before the House within two legislative days. He and other Republicans have increasingly linked the GOP’s heavy losses in the 2026 midterm elections to fallout from the Iran war, and Massie said he hoped a vote would come before Democrats take control of the House in January.
What Massie is arguing and his predictions
Massie told reporters he believes the case is straightforward, saying, “Like there’s no argument here. If this were in a courtroom, we wouldn’t need witnesses. We wouldn’t need to provide evidence,” and later predicted a “robust trial over in the Senate.” He also told ABC News he is confident enough GOP defectors will join Democrats to pass the impeachment resolution in the current GOP-controlled House; Massie needs a simple majority, meaning just three Republicans voting with all Democrats would be enough if party-line Democratic support holds.
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Massie previously tried to introduce impeachment articles in mid-September but was blocked when Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the final scheduled day of legislative business before the midterms, averting a vote then. Massie, a seven-term conservative who describes himself as a constitutionalist, lost a GOP primary earlier this summer after President Trump endorsed his opponent.
Responses from the White House, Hegseth and fellow lawmakers
In an impromptu White House briefing Monday, President Trump said he would “stand by” Hegseth even if he is impeached, telling reporters, “He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won. I had great people.” Hegseth, who has faced criticism over his leadership at the Pentagon and his role in administering the Iran war, said Monday he was “not worried about” the impeachment effort and announced a rare press conference at the Pentagon scheduled for Tuesday to address the matter.
“We’re not worried about that,” Hegseth told reporters when asked about Republican support on Capitol Hill. He posted a video last week saying the effort was driven by “a disgruntled, defeated congressman” and by Democrats, and drawing a parallel between his situation and the two impeachment efforts against President Trump.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC News’ “This Week” that he is a “hard yes” on impeaching Hegseth, and Massie’s office indicated it does not appear any Democrats will oppose the effort. But GOP leaders could move to table the resolution rather than hold a direct vote on the underlying articles — a motion-to-table would itself require a simple majority to pass.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer declined to back the impeachment push, and retiring Republican Rep. Don Bacon told ABC News’ Kyra Phillips that he is still weighing the issue but believes “the secretary has made some bad mistakes.”
Likely trajectory and hurdles
Even if Massie secures enough votes to impeach Hegseth in the House, removal would require conviction by a two-thirds majority in the Senate, a threshold that observers say is unlikely to be met in the GOP-controlled chamber. Massie has argued acting now is preferable to waiting until Democrats assume House control in January, warning that a delay would invite broader investigations and witness testimony from subordinates and allies of Hegseth.
Massie urged the embattled secretary to address each allegation directly, saying he hoped Hegseth would “Tell us why you are not guilty of each of these eight articles of impeachment” at the planned Pentagon news conference. Hegseth has said he will answer questions at that briefing.
The development adds to ongoing tensions within the Republican Party over the Iran war and its political fallout, and sets up a potentially consequential lame-duck showdown in the House in the days ahead.
