Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., says he plans to bring back articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth next week. This time, the House may have enough votes to approve them.
Massie first tried to advance the effort before the midterms, but the House adjourned a day early in September, and his proposal expired. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., criticized the move but denied sending lawmakers home early to prevent an impeachment vote.
House rules require lawmakers to take up Massie’s reintroduced articles within two days. The House could vote to set them aside or refer them to a committee, effectively ending the effort. But criticism of Hegseth among Republicans has grown, and a motion to dismiss the articles may not succeed.
The outcome could come down to the numbers. Democrats are expected to support impeachment, while some Republicans have privately expressed interest in doing the same. Following the midterms, more GOP lawmakers may also want to distance themselves from President Trump. The war in Iran was a factor in the party’s poor showing, potentially adding to Republican frustration with Hegseth.
Attendance could matter, too. Some lawmakers who lost their races may not return to the House, leaving Democrats with a larger share of those present. And some Republicans may be looking for someone to blame for the election results.
A simple majority in the House is enough to impeach. If the measure passes, the articles would go to the Senate, which is required to receive and consider them. The chamber could, however, move quickly to dismiss the case without holding a full trial. That happened when the Senate considered impeachment articles against former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas: senators did not hear arguments or witnesses or review evidence in a trial.
A simple majority is also enough for the Senate to dismiss the articles. That could be possible even with Republicans controlling the chamber. The votes of outgoing Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., may be worth watching, along with those of Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, John Curtis, R-Alaska, Todd Young, R-Ind., and others.
Conviction and removal from office would require a two-thirds Senate vote. The impeachment articles would also carry over to the next Congress. If Democrats take control of the Senate, they would have to decide whether to pursue a lengthy trial early in the new session or focus first on issues such as health care and affordability.
Still, Democrats might choose to hold a full trial, particularly if they see the handling of the Iran war as a major reason for the election losses.
