NORFOLK, Va. — Articles of impeachment have been filed against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, setting up a possible vote in the U.S. House and drawing attention from lawmakers and political observers in Hampton Roads.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed the articles, accusing Hegseth of carrying out an unconstitutional war with Iran because Congress has not declared war on the country.
Massie is an outgoing member of Congress after losing his bid for reelection earlier this year, when President Donald Trump endorsed another Republican.
“This has been building for some time,” Old Dominion University political science professor Dr. Jesse Richman told News 3.
Richman said the resolution could force the House to act, with reports indicating a vote could come as early as Wednesday.
“This is a motion that's going to have some priority, so I would expect to see the House move to take up Massie's articles of impeachment,” Richman said.
The impeachment process for a Cabinet secretary follows the same basic constitutional process used for a president. A majority of the House would need to approve impeachment before the case could move to the Senate, which would decide whether to remove Hegseth from office.
Republicans currently control the Senate and hold a slim majority in the House. However, Richman said outgoing Republican lawmakers could complicate the political calculus.
“There may be some other Republicans who have lost their seats and are willing to break with the president and vote in favor of impeachment,” Richman said.
News 3 reached out to Republican Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman for their reactions but did not receive responses from their staffs. Both lost their bids for re-election last week.
Democratic Rep. Bobby Scott declined to comment.
Democrat Elaine Luria, who won her election last week but will not take office in time to participate in the upcoming vote, was asked on CNN Friday whether she supports impeaching Hegseth.
“We'll all be watching what happens, but, you know, I don't think he's long for the world,” Luria said. “It's pretty unlikely he'll still be in that position by the time I get to Congress.”
Hegseth is expected to respond to the articles during a news briefing Tuesday morning at the Pentagon. He briefly addressed the effort Monday afternoon, saying, “We're not worried about that.”
Hegseth also criticized what he described as politically motivated disagreements with his policies.
“If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider or nabbing Nicolas Maduro, you're taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished,” Hegseth said.
Richman expects the issue to get significant attention in Hampton Roads, where the military and Department of Defense have a major presence.
“People care a lot about the Secretary of Defense, very important position,” Richman said.
Richman said the debate could stretch into the new year and the new Congress.
Trump has said he will continue to support Hegseth as the impeachment fight unfolds during Washington's lame-duck session.
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