Massie says he hid Hegseth impeachment resolution from GOP leaders

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he kept his resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a secret from Republican leaders because he did not want to “show his hand.”

The Kentucky Republican, who has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s military operations in Iran, introduced his resolution on the House floor Tuesday afternoon.

“I didn’t want to show it to anybody,” he said during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source” later that evening. “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.”

Massie told host Kaitlan Collins that he had “not heard” back from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about his resolution, noting the GOP leader has “48 hours” to call a vote.

“This is a hot war,” he 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.”

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.

Attorney 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.”

“By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before,” Wilson said. “The entire Department is unified behind the Secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”