⚖️ Only 2 cabinet secretaries ever impeached: Belknap, Mayorkas
Belknap was acquitted in 1876; Mayorkas's articles were dismissed in 2024. Hegseth calls Massie's articles 'sham.' Vote pending. ⏳
By MissFortune, money desk · Desk editor Laima Ērkšķe-Kreicberga · · 5 min read
ON RECORDPhoto: Mathew Benjamin Brady / Adam Cuerden · Public domainWhat we know
- Rep. Thomas Massie presented eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, per the New Republic; NPR says that sets up a House vote within two days.
- Hegseth called the articles "sham articles of impeachment" in a video, NPR reports, and President Trump told reporters, "I'll stand by him."
- Per the Miller Center, Secretary of War William Belknap resigned on March 2, 1876, the House impeached him that day, and the Senate vote of 37 to 25 on August 1 fell short of the two-thirds needed to convict.
- The House impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas 214 to 213 on February 13, 2024, after a first vote failed 214 to 216; the Senate dismissed both articles on April 17, CNN reports.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, presented eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday afternoon, the New Republic reports, and NPR says the move sets up a House vote within two days. Hegseth has dismissed them as "sham articles of impeachment." Before that vote is counted, here is the record on the only two cabinet secretaries the House has impeached before him, and what each one cost, kept and lost.
The resolution accuses Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors, per NPR. The New Republic's summary lists three counts of waging war on Iran without congressional authorization, plus counts over civilian-casualty rules, strikes on so-called drug boats, Sen. Mark Kelly's criticism of military policy, the operation involving Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and the war on Yemen. On the House floor, AP reports, Massie said Hegseth "knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders." Hegseth's answer, in a video NPR describes: "Didn't work against President Trump and it won't work with me." Trump told reporters Monday, "I'll stand by him," per NPR.
The timeline
1876: Belknap resigns, and is impeached the same day
The Miller Center puts Secretary of War William Belknap's government salary at $8,000 a year. Its account says John Evans would pay Caleb Marsh around $12,000 a year to keep the Fort Sill trading post, and Marsh agreed to give half to the Belknaps. By 1876, it says, Belknap had collected over $20,000, nearly $480,000 in the Miller Center's 2020 dollars. Marsh admitted the deal in sworn testimony on February 29, and on March 2 Belknap told President Grant he must resign. The House impeached him that day, with three of five articles passing unanimously.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)By the numbers
- 5 mofrom first to latest entry on record
- 17receipts behind this story
Eight thousand dollars a year on the payroll, over $20,000 on the side, per the Miller Center. The arithmetic was never going to hold.
1876: the Senate tries a man who has already left
The Senate trial began on April 5, 1876, and spent nearly a month on whether it could try a private citizen, the Miller Center reports; Belknap's lawyers said it could not. The Senate voted 37 to 29 on May 15 to continue. On August 1 the vote was 37 to 25 to convict, short of the two-thirds required, with Democrats voting guilty and most Republicans saying the Senate lacked jurisdiction. Belknap was acquitted, and the House managers' report is dated August 2, 1876.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)2021 to 2023: two Mayorkas resolutions go nowhere
Congress.gov lists Rep. Andy Biggs's August 2021 resolution, H.Res.582, as referred to the Judiciary Committee and no further. On November 13, 2023, the House voted 209 to 201 to send Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's resolution to committee, with eight Republicans joining all Democrats, USA Today reports. Greene said she was "outraged." A Homeland Security Department spokesperson called it a "baseless attack."
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)February 6, 2024: the first Mayorkas vote fails 214 to 216
The House Homeland Security Committee approved two articles along party lines on January 31, per CNN, but the full House voted 214 to 216 on February 6 and the impeachment failed. Three Republicans, Ken Buck, Mike Gallagher and Tom McClintock, voted no, and Blake Moore switched to no to keep the option to reconsider, CNN reports. DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said the "baseless impeachment should never have moved forward."
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)February 13, 2024: Mayorkas is impeached 214 to 213
The House tried again on February 13 and voted 214 to 213 to impeach Mayorkas on two articles, "willful and systemic refusal to comply with the law" and "breach of public trust," Axios reports. Axios called it the first impeachment of a cabinet secretary since Belknap in 1876. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters beforehand that "Mayorkas is an exceptional case in U.S. history," per Fox News. DHS and the White House have called the effort baseless.
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)April 17, 2024: the Senate ends it before arguments
House managers delivered the articles on April 16, CBS News reports. The next day the Senate voted 51 to 48, with Republican Lisa Murkowski voting present, to dismiss the first article, and 51 to 49 to dismiss the second, CNN reports. AP says the trial ended before arguments began. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the trial "frivolous and political," while House GOP leaders said Democrats had "issued their full endorsement of the Biden Administration's dangerous open border policies."
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)November 2026: Massie reintroduces, Hegseth objects
Massie first brought the resolution before the midterms, NPR reports, and Speaker Johnson called an early recess to avoid the vote, so the resolution expired and Massie reintroduced it Monday. NPR says there could be enough House votes with all Democrats, Massie and a handful of Republicans. Conviction would need two-thirds of the Senate, which NPR calls unlikely. Hegseth has called Massie a "disgruntled defeated congressman," and Massie replied, "I'm a defeated congressman. I'm not disgruntled."
See the receipt (opens in a new tab)The scorecard
| Year | Secretary | House | Senate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1876 | William W. Belknap (War) | Impeached March 2, per the Miller Center | Voted 37 to 25 to convict on August 1, short of two-thirds; acquitted |
| 2024 | Alejandro Mayorkas (Homeland Security) | 214 to 216 on February 6; 214 to 213 on February 13, per Congress.gov | Both articles dismissed April 17, 51 to 48 and 51 to 49, per CNN |
| 2026 | Pete Hegseth (Defense) | Eight articles presented November 9; vote expected within two days, per NPR | Not reached; two-thirds needed to convict |
"You don't go to prison, you don't go to jail, you don't pay a fine."
Rep. Thomas Massie, describing impeachment to reporters Monday, per NPR
If you want the money line: the only dollar figure anywhere in this file is Belknap's, over $20,000 against an $8,000 salary, per the Miller Center. None of the sources read puts a dollar figure on the Mayorkas or Hegseth articles. Per Massie, an impeachment means no prison, no jail and no fine. Of the two cabinet impeachments before this one, neither ended in a Senate conviction.
Quick quiz · 3 questions
Earlier on file: Thomas Massie files 8 impeachment articles on Pete Hegseth
The William W. Belknap file
- Ruled
Senate voted 37 to 25 to convict Belknap, short of the two-thirds needed; he was acquitted, per the Miller Center. This story
- Filed
Belknap resigned as secretary of war and the House impeached him on five articles, the Miller Center reports. This story
On file: The William W. Belknap file · The Alejandro Mayorkas file · The Pete Hegseth file
The Ledger
On the record
- The House impeached Belknap on March 2, 1876, and the Senate voted 37 to 25 on August 1 to convict, short of two-thirds, per the Miller Center.
- The House impeached Mayorkas 214 to 213 on February 13, 2024, and the Senate dismissed both articles on April 17, per Congress.gov and CNN.
- Massie presented eight articles against Hegseth on November 9, 2026, per NPR; Hegseth calls them "sham articles of impeachment."
Still rumour
- How the House votes on Massie's eight articles: not confirmed in the documents read, the latest dated November 9.
- Whether Hegseth resigns first: the New Republic notes a Pentagon press conference Tuesday, and the documents read do not say what he will announce.
- Belknap's own account of the Fort Sill payments: the Miller Center says he left the committee without testifying.
That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MissFortune
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