Trump backs Hegseth as Republican Thomas Massie files eight articles of impeachment

A Republican member of the US House of Representatives has moved to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war on Iran. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment on 9 November, as the House met for the first time since the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump defended Mr. Hegseth the same day. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he called Mr. Massie “a sick, sick guy” and said of Mr. Hegseth: “He won the war.” The House is expected to vote by 11 November, The National reported.

The charges

The articles accuse Mr. Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanours”. The main charge is that he helped wage war on Iran, which began on 28 February, without the approval of Congress, as the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires.

They also say his orders led to the death or injury of more than 200 civilians at a school in Minab, in southern Iran. Other charges cover strikes on boats said to carry drugs, which the articles call killings without trial. They also cite the seizure of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, attacks on the Houthis in Yemen and limits on reporters at the Pentagon.

The responses

Mr. Hegseth said on 9 November that he was “not worried” about the vote. “Their disagreements are with success,” he said of his critics, Al Jazeera reported. He planned to speak to reporters at the Pentagon on 10 November.

Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, called the effort a “cheap trick”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Mr. Hegseth had “done a good job”. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries backed impeachment.

The background

Impeachment needs a majority of the 435-member House. Removal from office needs two-thirds of the 100-member Senate, so the effort is unlikely to succeed, reports said.

Mr. Massie lost a Republican primary in May to a rival backed by Mr. Trump and will leave Congress when his term ends. Republicans lost heavily in the midterm elections in early November, and Democrats take control of both houses in January. Mr. Massie wants to push Mr. Trump to drop Mr. Hegseth before then, the BBC reported.

What’s next

The House is expected to vote on the articles by 11 November.