It’s not just about Hegseth: How impeachment can rein in the White House

Detailed summary

That is why the incoming Congress must rescue one of the most important constitutional guardrails from its path to extinction: the impeachment power. And there is no better way to…

Among the points midterm voters made very clear with their collective rebuke of President Trump’s second term so far: They want public officials who corruptly abuse their power to be held accountable.

That is why the incoming Congress must rescue one of the most important constitutional guardrails from its path to extinction: the impeachment power. And there is no better way to start that process than by impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

That Trump was twice impeached by the House, but also twice acquitted in the Senate, was more than a win for the president: It was a loss for democracy, because it rendered impeachment practically a dead letter. As long as a public official digs in, refuses to take responsibility, and waves the whole process away as an act of political retribution, that official can survive.

In failing to convict Trump, Congress stripped impeachment of its deterrent value. Incoming lawmakers should reclaim it.

This is especially important because of the elevation to Trump’s chief of staff of Stephen Miller, whose participation was instrumental in the actions leading to the calls to oust Hegseth. It’s constitutionally unclear whether Miller could face impeachment, since he is a member of Trump’s staff and not a Senate-confirmed official. But Miller’s ability to do more harm to the rule of law will be greatly restrained if officials in the position to do his bidding find their jobs on the line.

Hegseth is right that impeachment is not a solution for “policy disagreements” as he said during a defiant press briefing Tuesday blasting the impeachment effort. But Hegseth’s actions go far beyond political unpalatability. Outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky captured the worst of it in the articles of impeachment he reintroduced Monday as lawmakers returned from their election break.

First, the articles charge that Hegseth launched the attack on Iran, which has led to a disastrous war that has lasted eight months and counting, all…

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Boston Globe. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.