Articles allege Hegseth illegally waged war without congressional authorization and abused his powers
US Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, according to The Guardian’s report published on 9 November 2026. The articles accuse Hegseth of illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers.
A vote in the US House of Representatives could take place as soon as this week. Neither the timing nor the outcome was settled when The Guardian published its report.
The report’s photograph caption identifies Pete Hegseth in Baltimore County, Maryland, on 6 October 2026. The photograph is credited to Eric Lee/Reuters.
The articles rest on two accusations, as The Guardian summarized them: that Hegseth illegally waged war without congressional authorization, and that he abused his powers. The Guardian’s account describes the measures as accusing Hegseth of “illegally waging war without congressional authorization and abusing his powers.” The charges are Massie’s allegations; the initial report described no independent finding on them and no House action on the articles so far.
The war-powers accusation places Congress’s authority over military action at the center of the case Massie is bringing.
Massie, a Republican, is advancing the eight articles. The official he seeks to impeach is the defense secretary in Donald Trump’s administration. The Guardian characterized the move as “setting the stage for a showdown over one of the most divisive figures inside Donald Trump’s administration.”
The initial report was brief. It did not detail the contents of the eight articles beyond the two accusations, and it did not describe how much support the articles have among House members. The Guardian said additional details would follow.