Republican congressman Thomas Massie filed this Monday a new motion of censure against the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, whom he holds responsible for the war against Iran undertaken without the mandatory authorization of Congress.
"Removal of Peter Brian Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, for High Crimes and Misdemeanors. (...) Peter Brian Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, also mentioned as Secretary of War by this Administration, is subjected to impeachment," Massie said officially.
The lawmaker has filed a total of eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, including over alleged illegal war or military actions in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela, for "ignoring the laws and minimizing civilian casualties," for ordering extrajudicial executions, and for violating freedom of expression.
The House of Representatives plans to vote on these 'impeachment' articles next Wednesday, despite the fact that Republicans currently maintain the majority, pending the swearing-in of the congressmen elected last Tuesday and the formation of a new Democratic majority.
The initiative emphasizes that the U.S. president, Donald Trump, never asked Congress for authorization to start the war against Iran and that the subsequent War Powers Act expired without any responsibilities being assumed. The accusation also argues that the White House would have violated up to three distinct provisions of that law.
"Secretary Hegseth has knowingly carried out illegal orders to initiate a war against a foreign nation despite the absence of authorization from Congress (...) replacing the mandatory constitutional judgment of Congress with an executive action," Massie insisted.
According to the text, Hegseth "has demonstrated that he remains a threat to civilians, to the lawful conduct of the military operations of the United States, to the integrity and credibility of the United States Armed Forces, and to the Constitution if he is allowed to continue in office".
Some Republican lawmakers have already advanced that they will back the removal of Hegseth, so if the vote is held, the motion could succeed with additional support from the Democratic minority. Even so, the effective exit from office is still considered far off, since, even if the House approves the impeachment, the Senate maintains a solid Republican majority opposed to his dismissal.
Massie had already pushed earlier a proposed impeachment or 'impeachment' against Hegseth, whom he accuses of waging an "illegal" war against Iran without first "a declaration of war, legal authorization, an attack against the United States, or an imminent threat," although that initiative was introduced before the resounding Republican defeat in the midterm legislative elections held last Tuesday.