Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said on Wednesday that he didn’t give “anybody” a heads up before introducing articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Thomas Massie Introduces Articles Of Impeachment Against Trump Cabinet Member
A reporter had asked the Kentucky Republican if he gave GOP House leadership notice before his announcement.
"I didn't give anybody a heads up because when they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of congress," Massie said.
"And I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days," he added.
Watch below:
Massie on Hegseth Impeachment Resolution: I didn't give anybody a heads up because when they found out I was doing the Epstein discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of congress. And I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days pic.twitter.com/OEOFGQp6Or
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2026
Axios has more:
Massie introduced the eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Tuesday in his boldest act of defiance since he began his effort to curb the administration's war powers.
ADVERTISEMENTThe resolution has dim hopes of passing in the Republican-controlled House.
Because the resolution is privileged, Speaker Mike Johnson had two legislative days to act on it. But on Wednesday morning he canceled Thursday votes, effectively pushing consideration of Massie's impeachment effort until after the midterms.
"I didn't want to show my hand. I didn't show it to anybody," Massie told CNN's Kaitlin Collins Tuesday night.
"I was afraid that they would do something to subvert me getting on the floor for an hour and 20 minutes and reading these articles," he added.
“This is a hot war,” Massie said.
“This could become a nuclear war, and in the interim, even if it doesn’t, there are civilian casualties that are racking up greater than they would have otherwise because another one of my articles of impeachment shows that Peter Hegseth has degraded the ability of the DOD to minimize civilian casualties," he continued.
Watch below:
Rep. Thomas Massie on why he didn't tell Republican leaders about his push to impeach Secretary Hegseth: pic.twitter.com/CWHf86VP26
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) September 16, 2026
The Hill shared further:
It is unclear whether any other Republicans will join him in the effort to impeach Hegseth.
Massie previously introduced resolutions to limit President Trump’s military operations in Iran. The House has passed three war powers resolutions with the support of several Republicans, with the most recent one advancing Tuesday.
The lawmaker lost his primary reelection bid to Trump-backed challenger Ed Gallrein (R) in the Bluegrass State’s May primary. Hegseth traveled to Kentucky ahead of the GOP race to campaign for Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.
ADVERTISEMENTAttorney General Todd Blanche also defended Hegseth on Tuesday when asked by a reporter during a Rose Garden press briefing about Massie’s impeachment resolution.
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things,” Blanche said. “He follows the law, and so the [Justice Department] plays a role in that and we play an active role in making sure the law’s complied with.”
In a statement Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson called Hegseth a “transformative leader.”
