There is a major shift happening in Capitol Hill following the U.S. midterm elections, as Representative Thomas Massie supported by lawmakers, including Representative Ro Khanna, introduced eight Articles of impeachment against U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
Mr. Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host and one of President Donald Trump’s handpicked appointees in his second term as U.S. President, took charge of the Department of War despite lacking administrative experience commensurate with the post. Despite controversies surrounding his tenure, Mr. Trump has maintained his support and repeatedly dismissed suggestions of dismissing him. Article II focuses on Mr. Hegseth’s refusal to comply with Congress’s directive to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran. Hegseth allegedly directed the Department of Defence to ignore the resolution and continue with military strikes. Article III alleges Mr. This Article accuses Mr. This Article alleges that Mr. Kelly publicly reminded service members of their right to refuse illegal orders. It charges Mr. Hegseth of initiating an unconstitutional act of war, one that was committed without any constitutional or statutory authorisation. It also accuses him of forcibly capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife , an operation the articles assert was falsely framed as narcotics enforcement but executed to seize control of foreign oil reserves.
After both the House and Senate passed House Concurrent Resolution 86 (the first successful passage of such a legislative vehicle by both chambers of Congress in the history of the United States of America) to end unauthorised hostilities in June 2026, Mr. As per Section 5 (b) of the War Powers Resolution, authorised military action must terminate within 60 days (after a report is submitted or is required to be submitted to Congress). Hegseth continued conducting hostile military operations in Iran beyond the mandatory statutory deadlines of May 1 and June 1, 2026, without congressional extensions. Hegseth weaponised the Department of Defence to retaliate against Senator Mark Kelly (a retired United States Navy captain, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut who flew 39 combat missions during the First Gulf War), after Mr. This article addresses the January 3, 2026, military operations in Caracas, Venezuela, involving over 200 special operations personnel and 150 aircrafts.
Because congress had not declared war, provided statutory authorisation or faced any national emergency caused by an attack by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the U.S, the resolution states that the military strikes violated Section 2(c) of the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
Hegseth of “cultivating a warmaking culture” and a “course of conduct that effected the systemic deterioration and removal of Department of Defence infrastructure that Congress had mandated by law to limit collateral damage to civilians and non-military objects during military operations”, among other allegations. It accuses that Secretary Hegseth “retaliated against and sought to intimidate United States Senator Mark Kelly”, issued a Secretarial Letter of Censure, threatened court-martial recall and criminal prosecution and asserted in court filings that military authority supersedes judicial and legislative oversight over retired service members’ speech.
