Massie says his Hegseth impeachment resolution ‘much gentler’ than what Democrats plan

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has sparred with his own party in the past year, said Thursday morning that his call to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is “a much gentler version” of what can happen when Democrats take control of Congress.

Massie told CNN earlier that he plans to call for a vote to impeach Hegseth. In a post on social platform X on Wednesday night, Massie said, “There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns.”

On Thursday morning, Massie posted on social platform X saying “my Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress. They’ll have hearings & trials.”

The discussion surrounding Hegseth comes after the Democrats took control of the House and the Senate in a sweeping victory in the midterm elections where they secured historic wins in battleground states like Texas, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan and Maine, among others.

CBS News on Wednesday reported that President Trump has been asking advisers and allies whether Hegseth should stay in his role following the midterms. The president said Wednesday that he is not considering replacing the Defense Secretary adding, “he’s doing a very good job.”

The Hill previously reported that Hegseth is interested in the open Tennessee Senate seat and has been campaigning behind the scenes for the post. When asked if he would want Hegseth to fill Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) seat, Trump said that he would “be very popular if he did that. But I haven’t heard that at all.”

Massie, in his Thursday morning post, said if the president is “going to replace appointees like Hegseth, he should do it while he can still get the replacements confirmed in the Senate.”