Thomas Massie Says He Intentionally Blindsided House Leaders When Filing Hegseth Impeachment Articles
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, said he purposefully surprised his Republican colleagues on Tuesday when he introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
“I didn’t give anybody a heads-up, because when they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of Congress,” he said while being interviewed by a CNN reporter.
“And I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days.”
Massie on Hegseth Impeachment Resolution: I didn’t give anybody a heads up because when they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of congress. And I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days pic.twitter.com/OEOFGQp6Or
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2026
Massie took to the House floor and introduced an impeachment resolution against Hegseth for high crimes and misdemeanors. Massie also posted a 34-page document online levying serious accusations against him.
These included: Waging war in contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 2(c); ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties; extrajudicial killings; suppressing free speech; kidnapping of a sovereign foreign leader; and unlawful war in Yemen.
“In his conduct while Secretary of Defense, Peter Brian Hegseth, in violation of his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed — especially with regard to the commission of war — has abused the powers of the Department of Defense,” the document read.
It accused Hegseth of “knowingly” executing unlawful orders, defying the War Powers Act, and prosecuting a war in Iran that Congress did not approve.
,@RepThomasMassie (R-KY) introduces Articles of Impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. pic.twitter.com/cCMah1jQoD
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 15, 2026
The resolution stated that Hegseth “acted in a manner contrary to his trust as Secretary of Defense and subversive of constitutional government, to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”
Massie declared that Hegseth would be a “threat to the Constitution” if he is “allowed to remain in office” and has “acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law.”
The lawmaker also claimed that Hegseth participated in extrajudicial killings “of at least 221 persons aboard seagoing vessels alleged to be smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, principally in international waters,” related to President Donald Trump’s drone strikes against suspected drug traffickers.
Additionally, Massie’s articles of impeachment cited the effort to apprehend former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, calling it an “unprecedented military operation.”
Massie framed it as “an act of war against a sovereign country executed under the guise of narcotics law enforcement, though in actuality intended to assert U.S. control over Venezuela’s oil reserves.”
As for free speech suppression, Massie said that Hegseth’s investigation into comments made by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona about soldiers disobeying unlawful orders amounted to retaliation and intimidation.
Massie’s actions come just days after Congressional Democrats cited Hegseth as one of their top targets for impeachment if they regain a majority in the House of Representatives this November.
They plan on launching investigations using their subpoena powers to investigate his involvement in the Iran war, Pentagon contracts, strikes against Latin American drug boats, and his firing of top military officials.
“Hegseth and crew better buckle up and lawyer up because we are coming at them full on,” Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan of New York said. “It’s incredibly aggressive oversight because this is by far the most corrupt and least transparent Pentagon, I think, we’ve ever had.”
Hegseth has been a consistent advocate of Trump dating back to his days on Fox News, and has remained one of his top deputies throughout the second term.
Massie, on the other hand, lost his congressional primary back in May to his Trump-backed challenger, Ed Gallrein, and will no longer be a member of Congress come January.
Attorney General Todd Blanche commented on the allegations made by Massie on Tuesday, saying, “Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job.”
“The Secretary of War doesn’t just go off and do things, so he follows the law. And so, the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the law is complied with,” Blanche concluded.
“You called it a ‘war.’ I disagree with that characterization, as does most of Congress.”
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