Massie moves to impeach Hegseth — Transcript

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1. 0:00Impeaching Peter Brian Hegseth,
2. 0:02Secretary of Defense, for high crimes
3. 0:04and misdemeanors.
4. 0:06Resolved that Peter Brian Hegseth,
5. 0:08Secretary of Defense, also referred to
6. 0:10as Secretary of War by the
7. 0:11administration, is impeached for high
8. 0:13crimes and misdemeanors, and that the
9. 0:15following articles of impeachment be
10. 0:17exhibited to the United States Senate.
11. 0:20Articles of impeachment exhibited by the
12. 0:22House of Representatives of the United
13. 0:24States of America in the name of itself
14. 0:26and of the people of the United States
15. 0:27of America against Peter Brian Hegseth,
16. 0:30Secretary of Defense, in maintenance and
17. 0:33support of its impeachment against him
18. 0:35for high crimes and misdemeanors.
19. 0:37Article 1, waging war in contravention
20. 0:39of the War Powers Resolution of 1973,
21. 0:43Section 2C.
22. 0:44The Constitution provides that the House
23. 0:46of Representatives shall have the sole
24. 0:48power of impeachment and that civil
25. 0:50officers of the United States, including
26. 0:52the Secretary of Defense, shall be
27. 0:54removed from office on impeachment for
28. 0:56and conviction of treason, bribery, or
29. 1:00other high crimes or misdemeanors and
30. 1:02misdemeanors. In his conduct while
31. 1:04Secretary of Defense, Peter Brian
32. 1:07Hegseth, in violation of his oath to
33. 1:09support and defend the Constitution of
34. 1:11the United States, and in violation of
35. 1:13his constitutional duty to take care
36. 1:15that the laws be faithfully executed,
37. 1:18especially with regard to the commission
38. 1:19of war, has abused the powers of the
39. 1:22Department of Defense in that the
40. 1:25Declare War Clause of the United States
41. 1:27Constitution, Article 1, Section 8,
42. 1:30Clause 11, vests in Congress the
43. 1:32exclusive initiatory powers of war,
44. 1:35while the military, administrative, and
45. 1:37clemency clause of the United States
46. 1:39Constitution, Article 2, Section 2,
47. 1:41Clause 1, establishes the President as
48. 1:44the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
49. 1:46Forces and vests in him operational
50. 1:48control over wars lawfully authorized by
51. 1:51Congress. In an effort to statutorily
52. 1:54delineate the circumstances under which
53. 1:57the President may introduce United
54. 1:58States Armed Forces into hostilities
55. 2:01absent congressional authorization. The
56. 2:0393rd Congress of the United States
57. 2:06enacted into law House Joint Resolution
58. 2:09542, the War Powers Resolution of 1973,
59. 2:14Public Law 93-148,
60. 2:16by overriding the veto of President
61. 2:19Richard Nixon.
62. 2:20Peter Brian Hegseth, in his capacity as
63. 2:23Secretary of Defense, has executed
64. 2:25unlawful orders in contravention of
65. 2:27Section 2C of the War Powers Resolution
66. 2:30of 1973.