Massie files articles to trigger Hegseth removal vote the day after midterms

House Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, aiming to trigger a vote on the defense secretary’s removal on Nov. 9. That date falls one day after the midterm elections and the day the House returns to session.

Massie, a critic of the war on Iran and American aid to Israel, accused Hegseth of abusing his office. The articles allege that Hegseth executed an order for hostilities against Iran without approval from Congress. Massie has stated his intent to force the vote shortly after the chamber reconvenes.

House Democrats are also preparing for a potential impeachment if they win a majority in the November elections. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month that the party’s first priority in the majority would be to remove Hegseth from office. "One of the first things we're going to do in the majority, we're going to run Pete Hegseth out of town," Jeffries said.

Other Democratic lawmakers have voiced similar sentiments. Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth "incompetent and, frankly, corrupt" during a CNN interview. Rep. Jared Huffman described the defense secretary as an "unhinged fanatic who should be impeached and removed from office."

The push for accountability coincides with scrutiny over Hegseth’s recent travel. On Monday, Hegseth held a covert meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ovda air base in Israel. The meeting took place days before the Israeli election. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz attended the session, while IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior military officials were excluded for confidentiality reasons.

Hegseth confirmed the visit occurred but did not elaborate on the specifics of the conversation. According to a report from KAN News, the primary topic of discussion was Iran. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the Democratic impeachment strategy on Friday, while sources told Walla about the details of the air base meeting on Tuesday.