After launching a discharge petition to add more teeth the Epstein Transparency Act in early September, which led Mike Johnson to cancel all business after Thursday, Thomas Massie filed surprise Articles of Impeachment against Whiskey Pete Hegseth yesterday, which led Speaker Johnson to cancel business tomorrow.
Johnson had to do that to avoid a vote, tomorrow, on Massie’s Articles, which are required 48 business hours after the filing.
On top of all the other things Republican Members of Congress will have to explain to voters has been added an extended 6-week vacation leading up to the election, all to avoid two votes that should be easy but are not.
Massie’s articles of impeachment are substantive — similar to what I had expect Democrats would file in January shortly if they win the House.
Here’s a gaggle he did yesterday, before Johnson canceled Congress.
And those suggesting that these articles wouldn’t have passed are, I think, being too hasty.
The latest War Power Resolutions vote — which overlaps with four of these Articles of Impeachment — passed 220-204, which the following Republicans voting with all Democrats:
Mace is, predictably, a fan of white nationalist bigot Whiskey Pete, so she will vote against this in November. And while Barrett, Miller-Meeks, and Nunn likely voted for this because they’re facing a close race — and so might vote differently if they win that close race — there are enough hawks like Don Bacon who think Hegseth is a stain on the military who would presumably happily to vote against him.
And this is not going away. While the dynamics will be different on November 9 (the next day the House is due back in session), after Republicans are expected to face a very tough election, there are likely to be far more Republicans who, like Massie, have no fucks left to give and even a whole lot of Republicans who rue the way the Iran War killed whatever electoral support Trump did have.
Even assuming Hegseth is not convicted in the Senate — though that, too, may depend how many Republicans are furious enough after the election to damage Trump — just the passage of the Article pertaining to Maduro may give his very good attorney, Barry Pollack, more leverage in his existing claim he has sovereign immunity, which could create big problems for Trump’s attempt to colonize Venezuela.
Tom Massie is a lot of things, some good, some bad. But he’s a pretty good parliamentarian. And this was a pretty stunning turn of events.
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