Motion for impeachment: Parts of the Republicans want to get rid of Hegseth

The US House of Representatives is scheduled to vote this week on the possible impeachment of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Republican Representative Thomas Massie made a corresponding request on Monday. He accuses Hegseth of several legal violations that would have shown that he “represents a threat to the constitution if he is allowed to remain in office.”

Massie lists a total of eight charges in his so-called “Articles of Impeachment”. These include the illegal war in Iran, the attacks on smugglers' boats in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific and the suppression of freedom of expression.

"My move to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much milder form of what awaits us when Democrats take control of the House and Senate next year. They will initiate hearings and investigations. President Trump should replace Secretary Hegseth now - while he still has the opportunity to have a successor confirmed by the Senate," Massie said in a press statement.

It is the second time that the outgoing Kentucky representative has introduced a motion to impeach Hegseth. He did so back in September, but Republican leadership refused to hold a vote. So now his second attempt.

Massie, who lost his party primary this year and will be leaving Congress in January, is this time using a procedural procedure that guarantees a vote within the next two days. In doing so, he bypasses his party leadership, which as the leading force normally has control over the processes in Congress.

The vote, which must be held by Wednesday at the latest, is the first test for Republicans to demonstrate their loyalty to the Trump administration after last week's election debacle.

Massie believes that in addition to pretty much all Democrats, some of his Republican colleagues will also vote for the proposal. “I know a lot of them don’t like Hegseth,” he said at a news conference outside the Capitol on Monday.

Due to the narrow majority in the House of Representatives, the motion has a real chance of gaining a simple majority and thus triggering possible impeachment proceedings in the Senate.

The US Secretary of Defense will speak on the impeachment proceedings from the Pentagon on Tuesday morning. In a video published last Thursday, Hegseth defended his work in office. He called Massie's actions a "disgrace" that "won't work." “We are more determined than ever — more determined than ever — to finish what we started,” Hegseth said in the video.

Even in addition to the impeachment process, there are more and more voices calling for his removal. Even before the election defeat, several Republicans were pushing to replace Hegseth. Since then, these demands have become even louder.

President Donald Trump has so far stuck with his defense secretary. He said he was doing “fantastic work.” Trump also defended the Iran war, although he acknowledged that the resulting increased oil and gas prices had a negative impact on Republicans' performance in the midterm elections.

When asked about Massie's impeachment motion against Hegseth, Trump declared during a short-term press conference at the White House on Monday that he was a "loser." He stands by Hegseth: “He won two wars,” said the US President.

It is not yet known when the House of Representatives will vote on Massie's motion within the two-day period mentioned. What happens next after a successful vote is also still unclear, as the Republicans would have the option of delaying the process until the new Congress convenes.