Pete Hegseth Survives Impeachment Vote Over Iran, Venezuela

Eight. That is the number of impeachment articles Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican not seeking reelection, filed this week against Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief who rebranded his own title from secretary of defense to secretary of war, according to a Guardian opinion column by Emma Brockes. The House blocked the measure days later, and Hegseth keeps the job — for now.

Massie's articles accused Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanours," the constitutional standard for impeachment, including conducting an unauthorized war with Iran and effecting regime change in Venezuela without congressional approval, Brockes reported. House Republicans, rather than distancing themselves from Hegseth after the party's losses in this month's midterms, moved to shut the proceeding down, joining President Trump in defending him, according to the column.

What did Thomas Massie's impeachment articles allege?

Massie's filing centered on war powers. The eight counts accused Hegseth of acting without authorization from Congress in Iran and of driving a regime-change campaign in Venezuela, Brockes wrote. Massie is leaving Congress and will not face voters again, a detail Brockes's column flags as context for why he was willing to force the vote at all.

Why did Republicans rally around Hegseth this week?

Republicans "narrowly saw off the proceedings," Brockes wrote, and did so "somewhat to the surprise of observers," given the pressure the party was already under after its midterm defeat. The column notes that in the aftermath of what it calls the GOP's "shellacking" at the polls, speculation had turned toward Hegseth as the official who might take the political fall — only for the party to defend him instead when the impeachment vote came up.

How does the midterm loss factor into the fight over Hegseth?

Vice President JD Vance pointed to the Iran war as a root cause of the midterm losses, according to Brockes's column, which situates that comment inside the broader argument over who inside the administration bears responsibility for the election results. The column also references Greg Bovino, described as the former U.S. immigration chief, though the source material does not spell out the specifics of his role in the Hegseth dispute beyond naming him.

"Luminously short-lived" is how Brockes describes Hegseth's tenure, writing that his appointment may come to be seen as "the defining appointment of the Trump era" precisely because of how briefly it could last once Democrats control both chambers.

What happens when Democrats take the House and Senate in January?

Democrats are set to assume a majority in both chambers in January, and Brockes's column states they are "likely to have another crack at impeaching Hegseth" once they do. That timeline — a failed impeachment vote now, followed by a renewed attempt under new leadership in two months — is the throughline of the piece.

Timeline

• Nearly two years ago: Hegseth was sworn in as secretary of defense, per the column.
• Undated, during his tenure: Hegseth adopts the informal title "secretary of war," which Brockes's column frames as fitting the retro aesthetic the administration has favored.
• This month: Republicans suffer midterm losses; JD Vance cites the Iran war as a contributing factor, according to the column.
• This week (week of Nov. 9, 2026): Thomas Massie files eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth over Iran and Venezuela; House Republicans block the vote.
• January 2027: Democrats assume a majority in both chambers and are expected, per the column, to attempt impeachment again.

Why does Hegseth call himself "secretary of war"?

Brockes's column does not cite an official explanation from Hegseth himself, but describes the choice as consistent with what she calls the "1950s aesthetic for which the president pines," tying the title directly to Hegseth's image as the "quiff-wearing, square jaw-rocking" face of the Pentagon. The column treats the rebrand as self-selected rather than a legally renamed Cabinet post, and offers no indication that Congress has altered the department's statutory name.

By the numbers

• 8: articles of impeachment filed against Hegseth by Rep. Thomas Massie, per the Guardian column.
• ~2 years: length of time Hegseth has served as secretary of defense, according to the same source.

Whether those two figures intersect again depends on January's new Democratic majority, which Brockes's column suggests will not let this week's blocked vote be the final word.

Read the original column: Why does Pete Hegseth call himself secretary of war?