Thomas Massie Accuses Pete Hegseth of ‘BREAKING THE LAW’ in Iran War: ‘Must Be Held Accountable’

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for “BREAKING THE LAW” on Thursday, arguing President Donald Trump’s administration no longer has legal authority to continue military operations in Iran without congressional approval.

Massie’s comments came via X, as he responded to a report from The New York Times detailing, per three military officials, how the administration removed four U.S. service members killed this past weekend from the Pentagon’s public Iran war casualty count because they died after the president’s April ceasefire declaration.

Pentagon acting press secretary Joel Valdez, however, offered another explanation, telling the Times the change stemmed from “temporary data disruptions” and “anomalies” affecting the website that he said would soon be corrected.

“Let me explain this absurd ruse,” Massie wrote on Thursday. “The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire.”

“The reality,” he explained, is that “by going more than 90 days without congressional authorization [Hegseth] IS BREAKING THE LAW and must be held accountable.”

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, a president must end unauthorized U.S. military involvement within 60 days, with up to 30 additional days permitted to safely withdraw American forces, unless Congress declares war or otherwise authorizes the operation.

The war in Iran began Feb. 28; a tentative ceasefire was reached in April, and then broken in June. Since then, the U.S. and Iran have continued to exchange deadly military strikes.

Also on Thursday, Massie, along with fellow Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tom Barrett (R-MI) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) crossed party lines in a vote to restrict Trump’s war powers. The measure passed through the House — for the second time — with a vote of 214 to 208.

As explained by NPR’s Claudia Grisales, “while it is not legally binding, the resolution represents a symbolic rebuke” towards Trump.

The Senate, on the other hand, voted 47-49 Thursday to defeat a joint resolution that would have legally required an end to the war in Iran, though it still would have been subject to a presidential veto.

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