On a Monday in November, Donald Trump stood beside UFC chief Dana White and defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by counting wars won, naming Venezuela and Iran as proof of his command. The same day, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a congressman on his way out of office, refiled eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of waging war in Iran without congressional consent. It is one more scene in an old American argument about who decides when the nation goes to war, now playing out in the weeks after a midterm that returned the Senate to Democrats and reshaped the House's future.
Trump Doubles Down on Hegseth as Massie Refiles Impeachment Articles
"He's winning the war in Iran," Trump said of Hegseth
Mark
Why does this impeachment push matter if it likely goes nowhere?
Mimi
Because it comes from a Republican. Massie is accusing Hegseth of waging war in Iran without congressional authorization, which is a war-powers argument, not a partisan one.
Mark
And Trump's answer?
Mimi
He didn't rebut the charges. He said Hegseth won two wars, Venezuela and Iran, and called Massie a stone cold loser and sick.
Luke
Notice that Trump says he's winning in Iran. That's present tense. Calling it won and ongoing at once is his framing, not something the reporting establishes.
Mark
Is the Maduro raid claim verified?
Luke
Only as Trump's description. He called it flawless; the source gives no independent assessment.
Mimi
What is concrete is eight articles, refiled, from a congressman who is on his way out.
Luke
Which is the open question. We don't know whether House leadership will let it advance, and nothing here says it will.
Mark
Does the timing matter?
Mimi
Democrats take control of Congress in January, so Massie's window before leaving is short.
Luke
Though whether Democrats would back an impeachment pushed by Massie is not in this reporting. Don't assume it.
Le Pouls
- Massie has refiled eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, hoping to oust the defense secretary before he leaves Congress.
- The charge at the center is that the Iran war was waged without congressional authorization, a dispute over who holds the power to make war.
- Trump answered with victory claims, calling Hegseth's record 'flawless' and Massie a 'stone cold loser' and 'sick' rather than engaging the charges.
- The day is crowded with turbulence: Johnson stepping away from leadership, Jeffries poised for the speakership, and Trump wavering on immigration and election legitimacy.
- The path forward is narrow and uncertain, with the impeachment resolution stalled unless House leadership grants it a vote before Massie departs.
On a Monday in November, Donald Trump stood beside UFC chief Dana White and defended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by counting wars won, naming Venezuela and Iran as proof of his command. The same day, Republican Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a congressman on his way out of office, refiled eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of waging war in Iran without congressional consent. It is one more scene in an old American argument about who decides when the nation goes to war, now playing out in the weeks after a midterm that returned the Senate to Democrats and reshaped the House's future. Whether the charges become more than rhetoric depends on a House leadership that has not yet said it will give them a vote.
At a Monday press conference, with UFC chief Dana White at his side, Donald Trump was asked about his defense secretary and answered with a list of triumphs. Pete Hegseth, he said, had "won two wars," first in Venezuela, where the raid to capture Nicolás Maduro was, in the president's words, "flawless," and then in Iran, where Hegseth was "winning the war."
The defense arrived the same day that Thomas Massie, a Republican congressman from Kentucky who is leaving Congress, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. Massie accuses him of waging war in Iran without congressional authorization and of abusing his powers. Trump did not address those charges. He called Massie a "stone cold loser" and "sick."
The confrontation unfolded in a turbulent week. Democrats had won back the Senate in the midterms, Hakeem Jeffries stood poised to become speaker, and Mike Johnson announced he would not seek the minority leadership, declining to say whether he would finish his term. Trump himself was shifting ground, first calling his deportation policy "too tough" on television and then insisting there would be no amnesty, and he had begun questioning whether the election had been honest. Whether Massie's resolution gets any path to a vote before he leaves Congress remains the open question.
At a press conference on Monday, with UFC chief executive Dana White standing beside him, Donald Trump answered a question about his defense secretary by listing victories. Pete Hegseth, the president said, had "won two wars." He pointed first to Venezuela, saying Hegseth "won the war" there and that the American military raid to capture former president Nicolás Maduro "was flawless." Then Iran: "He's winning the war in Iran," Trump said.
The defense came the same day Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. Massie, who is leaving Congress, refiled the resolution in the hope of ousting the defense secretary. He accuses Hegseth of illegally waging war in Iran without congressional authorization and of abusing his powers. (The Guardian's live blog at one point described Massie as a senator; elsewhere it correctly identifies him as a House member.)
Trump did not engage the charges in detail. He called Massie "a stone cold loser" and "sick."
The confrontation sits inside a busy day for the administration, one week after midterm elections in which Democrats won back the Senate, taking at least 54 of the chamber's 100 seats. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, is poised to become speaker next year. Mike Johnson, the current speaker, said "after a lot of prayer and reflection" that he will not run for minority leader in January. Asked whether he would serve out his term, he declined to commit, saying he remains in charge until early January and that afterward his aim is to help Republicans have a successful 120th Congress. He added that the only person in the modern era to stay on as "Speaker emeritus" was Nancy Pelosi.
Trump also moved on immigration. In a 60 Minutes interview broadcast Sunday, he had called his deportation policy "too tough" and offered to strike an immigration deal with Democrats. On Monday he reversed tone, calling the policy "very strong" and saying, "we're not going to have amnesty." Of people who entered illegally, he said, "they knew the law." He told reporters he had not discussed changes with incoming chief of staff Stephen Miller.
He has also begun questioning the election results after earlier saying he would accept them. "Does anybody really believe that this 'Election' was honest," he wrote on Truth Social. Chuck Schumer replied that the president's "return to election denialism was inevitable." Chris van Hollen, the Maryland senator floated as an alternative to Schumer as Democratic leader, said he is in "listening mode" and has not "shut the door," adding that there should be no "coronation."
Elsewhere, the Senate voted 73-25 to take up a 417-page bipartisan bill to speed permitting reviews for data centers and other infrastructure, both clean and fossil fuel. Trump urged support. Adam Schiff said he cannot yet back it, citing concerns over tribal sovereignty, California's Clean Water Act authority and Endangered Species Act protections. The Supreme Court allowed border wall construction in Texas's Big Bend region to resume while the case proceeds; Ro Khanna vowed to cut off funding once Democrats control Congress in January. A Utah judge set the trial of the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk for June 2028, with 105 days allotted.
What to watch: whether House leadership gives Massie's resolution any path to a vote before he leaves Congress, and how the dispute over war powers in Iran develops.
Citations marquantes
He won the war in Venezuela... He's winning the war in Iran.— Donald Trump, on Pete Hegseth
I'm in listening mode and haven't shut the door.— Sen. Chris van Hollen, on a bid for Senate majority leader
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Lire l'original sur The Guardian ↗