GOP Congressman Will Pursue Hegseth Impeachment, “I’ll Force a Vote”

U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) is warning House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that sending Congress home until after the midterm elections won’t spare Republicans from voting on the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the release of additional Jeffrey Epstein records.

“The House adjourned until after the election to avoid votes on releasing the rest of the Epstein Files and on the impeachment of SecDef Hegseth,” Massie wrote Thursday on X.

“When we return, if the files haven’t been released and if Hegseth is still in office, I’ll force a vote on both.”

The House adjourned until after the election to avoid votes on releasing the rest of the Epstein Files and on the impeachment of SecDef Hegseth.

When we return, if the files haven’t been released and if Hegseth is still in office, I’ll force a vote on both.

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 15, 2026

The Kentucky Republican has been feuding with Johnson over the House calendar since September, when the speaker ended the legislative session early and sent lawmakers home to campaign.

“We’re calling off Congress? And we’re in the majority?” Massie complained on the House floor, according to the Associated Press .

“I’m trying to get justice for the Epstein survivors,” he said. “I’m trying to stop a war.”

Johnson dismissed Massie’s effort to impeach Hegseth as a “stunt,” defending the Republican majority’s legislative record and arguing that lawmakers needed to return to their districts before the election.

Massie, who lost his Republican primary to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein and will leave Congress in January, expressed frustration that started before the current recess.

“We had the Epstein recess last year. We got the Epstein recess this year, and then we got the Hegseth day off,” Massie told Axios .

In September, Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing the Pentagon chief of conducting military operations without congressional authorization, including the war with Iran.

“By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable,” Massie said.

The other charges concern military strikes on suspected drug traffickers, the seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, retaliation against Senator Mark Kelly and unauthorized operations in Yemen. Hegseth and the Pentagon have rejected the allegations.

Massie, who led the congressional effort to compel transparency on the Epstein files, also disputes the Justice Department’s claim that it has complied with legislation requiring their full release. He contends that millions of documents remain withheld and that some released records are improperly redacted.