Republican congressman calls to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

GOP Representative has emerged as outspoken critic of war on Iran and overseas military interventions.

US Representative Thomas Massie introduces a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in connection with the US conflict with Iran, in a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives in this frame grab from a video shot at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 15, 2026 [House TV/Handout via Reuters]

United States Republican Representative Thomas Massie , an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s war on Iran, has sought to force a long-shot vote in the US Congress on the impeachment of Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.

Massie read articles of impeachment against Hegseth in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, accusing the Pentagon chief of waging war without congressional approval, carrying out extrajudicial killings , and paying little mind to civilian casualties in military operations.

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“Secretary Hegseth abused the powers entrusted to him as secretary of defence by subordinating the constitutional limits on the use of military force and the laws governing the conduct of hostilities to his own policy objectives,” Massie said, adding that Hegseth has shown a “profound disregard” for the impact of US military operations on civilians.

The Pentagon chief has faced criticism for the US-Israel war on Iran and his record of disparaging remarks about protections meant to minimise civilian casualties and ensure adherence to the law by US forces, which he has dismissed as “stupid” and “politically correct” rules of engagement that hinder the military.

The resolution for Hegseth’s impeachment could receive a vote in the coming days, but faces long odds of success in the Republican-majority US House of Representatives.

The Pentagon has said that it supports Hegseth.

“The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told the news service Reuters in an emailed statement.

While polls show that most Republicans support the otherwise unpopular war on Iran, a handful of figures on the political right, including Massie and media personality Tucker Carlson, have become increasingly critical of the Trump administration’s interventionist foreign policy .

President Donald Trump, who pledged to wind down US involvement in conflicts around the world during his 2024 presidential campaign, has previously slammed Massie over his opposition to the war on Iran and efforts to force the government to release the Epstein Files.

Massie lost his primary election in May to a Trump-backed challenger and a barrage of spending by pro-Israel groups .

这位共和党众议员已成为对伊朗战争和海外军事干预的直言不讳的批评者。

2026年9月15日，美国众议员托马斯·马西在华盛顿特区美国国会大厦的众议院发表讲话，提出弹劾国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯的决议，理由是他与美国和伊朗之间的冲突有关。此画面截取自一段视频。[众议院电视台/路透社提供]

美国共和党众议员托马斯·马西是特朗普政府对伊朗发动战争的公开批评者，他试图迫使美国国会就弹劾国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯进行一次成功率极低的投票。

周二，马西在美国众议院宣读了针对赫格塞斯的弹劾条款，指控这位五角大楼负责人未经国会批准发动战争、进行法外处决，并且对军事行动中的平民伤亡漠不关心。

列表 1/3：托马斯·马西如何在特朗普时代代表共和党异议人士

列表 2/3 “不爱国”：特朗普谴责投票限制伊朗战争的共和党人

3/3 马西竞选支出打破纪录，亲以色列团体将矛头指向特朗普批评者

“国防部长赫格塞斯滥用其作为国防部长所拥有的权力，将使用武力的宪法限制和有关敌对行动的法律置于其自身政策目标之下，”马西说，并补充道，赫格塞斯对美国军事行动对平民的影响表现出“极度漠视”。

五角大楼负责人因美以对伊朗的战争以及他对旨在最大限度减少平民伤亡和确保美军遵守法律的保护措施发表贬损性言论而受到批评，他将这些保护措施斥为“愚蠢的”和“政治正确的”交战规则，认为这些规则阻碍了军事行动。

对赫格塞斯的弹劾决议可能会在未来几天内进行投票表决，但在共和党占多数的美国众议院获得通过的可能性不大。

五角大楼已表示支持赫格塞斯。

五角大楼新闻秘书金斯利·威尔逊在一份发给路透社的电子邮件声明中表示：“整个国防部团结一致支持部长的愿景，并将继续努力把我们的作战人员和美国放在首位。”

虽然民调显示大多数共和党人支持这场不受欢迎的对伊朗战争，但包括马西和媒体名人塔克·卡尔森在内的一些右翼政治人物对特朗普政府的干涉主义外交政策越来越持批评态度。

唐纳德·特朗普总统曾在2024年总统竞选期间承诺逐步减少美国在世界各地冲突中的参与，他此前曾抨击马西反对对伊朗发动战争以及试图迫使政府公布爱泼斯坦档案。

马西在五月份的党内初选中败给了特朗普支持的挑战者，并且还遭到了亲以色列团体的猛烈抨击。