Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is headed for an impeachment vote, and the Republican forcing it says it has “better than a 50 percent chance of passing.” Democrats won the House on Tuesday. They have promised to investigate Hegseth from their first week in the majority.
Black Americans have a particular reason to watch. Hegseth is the secretary who ousted Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. in February 2025, only the second Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a book, Hegseth had questioned whether Brown would have gotten the job if he were not Black. Black Americans are also over-represented in the force he commands: Pew Research found they were 17% of active-duty troops in 2015, against 13% of adults ages 18 to 44. Massie’s articles accuse Hegseth of running an unlawful war with those troops.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary and is leaving Congress, read eight articles of impeachment on the House floor on Sept. 15. They charge Hegseth with waging an unlawful war on Iran, violating the law of armed conflict, targeting civilians, abusing his power and obstructing congressional oversight. Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the House early to keep a vote from happening.
That option ends with the new Congress. Massie said on X after the election: “There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment. Hegseth resigns.” He has said retiring Republicans “might be compelled to vote their conscience.” Impeachment needs only a simple majority, so a united Democratic caucus and a handful of Republicans would be enough. A Senate conviction would take far more.
Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, has said he will investigate military operations, the politicization of the armed forces and possible corruption in defense contracts.
The White House is not budging. Asked whether he would replace Hegseth, President Donald Trump said: “No, I think he’s doing a very good job.” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth will “not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists.”
Massie’s articles do not mention Gen. Brown. But the firing belongs in the record. A four-star fighter pilot with more than two years as the country’s top uniformed officer was removed, and the secretary who announced it is now accused by a Republican congressman of waging an unlawful war. Black service members are owed a secretary who answers for both.
Massie has said he will force the vote when the House reconvenes, if Hegseth is still in office.
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