The lead article in Thomas Massie’s impeachment of Pete Hegseth charges him with violating the War Powers Resolution, but the War Powers Resolution does not mention the Secretary of Defense. It names one officer, the president, in every clause that imposes a duty, and Massie’s own articles admit that the president gave the orders. The House should keep that in mind before it votes this week, along with something Senate Democrats said in April 2024: fights over policy are not what impeachment is meant for.
Massie lost his primary in May, one day after Hegseth flew to Kentucky to campaign against him, and he has spent the months since drafting perhaps the longest grudge in the Congressional Record. He has eight weeks left. Congress has a funding deadline on December 11, a Senate that changes hands in January, and a war to deal with, and on Monday afternoon he read all eight articles from the House floor as a question of privilege, which the chamber must drop everything to dispose of within two legislative days. The vote comes by Wednesday. Hakeem Jeffries called himself a “hard yes” on Sunday; Republican leaders are counting defections, and the votes may well be there by midweek.
