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Massie introduces articles of impeachment against Hegseth over ‘unlawful’ war on Iran

The Republican lawmaker warned that Hegseth ‘will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office’

News Desk, NOV 10, https://thecradle.co/articles/massie-introduces-articles-of-impeachment-against-hegseth-over-unlawful-war-on-iran

US Representative Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth on 9 November, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 through unauthorized attacks on Iran and Yemen.

Massie introduced the articles as a privileged resolution – meaning the House of Representatives must act on it within two days.

Hegseth “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders” by carrying out US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, Massie said.

The war was launched illegally without congressional authorization.

“In all of this, Secretary Hegseth has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as secretary of defense, and subversive to constitutional government,” the lawmaker added.

He added that the war secretary showed “that he will remain a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.”

Massie also accused Hegseth of acting “in a manner grossly incompatible” with his duties and with US law. This warrants impeachment, removal from office, and disqualification to hold any other position, he stressed.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution specifies that a US president cannot send the military into combat without “a declaration of war, specific statutory authorization, or a national emergency created by attack” on US territory or forces.

Additionally, Massie pointed to heavy civilian casualties inflicted by Washington, particularly the US strike on the girl’s school in Minab during the opening hours of the war.

“Those killed include at least 120 school children, 26 teachers, seven parents attempting to evacuate their children, a school bus driver, a pharmacy technician from a nearby clinic, and the six-month-old unborn child of one of the teachers also killed in the attack,” Massie told the House of Representatives.

Hegseth is being accused of defying congressional directives to cease hostilities, bypassing legal frameworks within the War Department, and gutting civilian casualty mitigation protocols in both Iran and Yemen.

The resolution further details severe extrajudicial actions, including overseeing lethal strike guidelines in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that have killed over 260 fishermen under the pretext of combating drug smuggling.

Trump is reportedly looking for a “fall guy” to blame for the failed war on Iran, which resulted in a retaliatory campaign that devastated US military infrastructure across the region.

Hegseth is among these potential scapegoats.

Earlier this month, The Atlantic cited sources as saying that the war secretary has been “dishonest” about the state of the war.

“Hegseth is good at telling the president what he wants to hear,” one of the sources said.

The war secretary reportedly told the president the war would be quick and easy, without accurately describing Tehran’s retaliation.

“He is conducting state terrorism. He is 100 percent a war criminal. He needs to be prosecuted,” former Pentagon official Wes J. Bryant said in early November.0

November 14, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA