Rep. Massie speaks after filing Hegseth impeachment resolution

Representative Thomas Massie’s resolution presents eight articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Peter Brian Hegseth. Each article identifies a separate alleged abuse of authority involving war powers, military law, civilian protection, congressional oversight, or constitutional rights. The resolution calls for Secretary Hegseth’s impeachment, Senate trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding federal office.

Article I: Unauthorized War in Iran

Article I alleges that Hegseth directed U.S. forces into hostilities against Iran on February 28, 2026, in violation of Section 2(c) of the War Powers Resolution. Congress had not declared war or enacted a specific authorization for military force, and Iran had not attacked the United States, its territories, or its armed forces. The resolution also cites the absence of an imminent threat. It argues that Hegseth used Defense Department personnel, weapons, and resources to initiate a war without the constitutional and statutory authority required for such action.

Article II: Disregarding Congress’s Order to End Hostilities

Article II focuses on Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution. The House and Senate approved House Concurrent Resolution 86 in June 2026, directing the president to remove U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities in Iran. The resolution alleges that Hegseth continued military operations after both chambers acted. It accuses him of refusing to initiate withdrawal, directing the Defense Department to disregard Congress’s instruction, and allowing the executive branch to sustain a war that Congress had ordered terminated.

Article III: Continuing War After Statutory Deadlines

Article III addresses the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day termination requirement. President Donald Trump notified Congress on March 2, 2026, that hostilities had begun in Iran on February 28. Congress did not authorize the war or extend the statutory period. The resolution states that the 60-day period expired on May 1 and that no presidential certification was submitted to activate an additional 30-day withdrawal period. It alleges that Hegseth continued military operations after every applicable deadline and treated a mandatory termination requirement as an executive policy choice.

Article IV: Weakening Civilian-Harm Protections

Article IV alleges that Secretary Hegseth dismantled Defense Department systems designed to prevent, track, investigate, and respond to civilian casualties. The resolution cites efforts to repeal statutory requirements, stalled implementation of the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, the loss of casualty-tracking resources, reductions affecting over 90 percent of civilian-harm personnel at combatant commands, the removal of senior military legal officers, and rhetoric hostile to legal review and rules of engagement. It connects these decisions to a U.S. strike on an Iranian elementary school that reportedly killed or injured over 200 civilians, many of them children.

Article V: Extrajudicial Killings at Sea

Article V alleges that Secretary Hegseth authorized 63 attacks against 67 vessels suspected of narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing at least 221 people. The resolution argues that the campaign lacked congressional authorization and displaced established maritime interdiction, arrest, and prosecution procedures. It also challenges targeting standards that permitted strikes based on suspected affiliation with designated organizations without requiring weapons or narcotics to be present. The article cites secondary strikes against survivors, delays in rescue operations, the removal of senior military lawyers, and legal memoranda used to classify the campaign as an armed conflict.

Article VI: Retaliation Against Senator Mark Kelly

Article VI accuses Secretary Hegseth of using Defense Department authority to retaliate against Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, for constitutionally protected speech. Senator Kelly appeared in a November 2025 video stating that service members could refuse illegal orders. The Defense Department subsequently threatened his recall to active duty, initiated a Navy review, issued a letter of censure, and raised the possibility of criminal prosecution, administrative punishment, and reduction in retired rank. The resolution frames these actions as an attempt to intimidate a senator, restrict congressional oversight, limit judicial review, and chill the speech of retired service members.

Article VII: The Capture of Nicolás Maduro

Article VII concerns Operation Absolute Resolve, the January 3, 2026 military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The resolution states that the operation involved over 200 U.S. special operations personnel, over 150 aircraft and drones, and significant naval forces. It alleges that the mission entered Venezuelan territory, destroyed air defenses, struck targets around Caracas, caused at least 83 deaths, and resulted in seven American casualties. The article argues that Secretary Hegseth conducted an act of war without congressional authorization and used narcotics enforcement to support regime change and control over Venezuelan oil resources.

Article VIII: Unauthorized War in Yemen

Article VIII addresses Operation Rough Rider, a campaign involving over 1,100 strikes in Yemen between March 15 and May 6, 2025. The resolution attributes an estimated 224 civilian deaths and 500 to 600 Houthi fighter deaths to the operation. It alleges that Hegseth initiated the campaign without a declaration of war, statutory authorization, or an imminent threat to the United States. It also cites the administration’s failure to notify Congress within 48 hours. Statements from a leaked Signal conversation are presented as evidence that officials believed the operation could be delayed and that its timing involved deterrence, media optics, and regional political considerations.

Across all eight articles, the resolution accuses Secretary Hegseth of expanding executive control over military force, disregarding congressional war powers, weakening legal and humanitarian safeguards, retaliating against oversight, and exposing civilians and U.S. service members to preventable harm. Its case for impeachment rests on the claim that Secretary Hegseth exceeded the lawful boundaries governing military authority and civilian control.