Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Denies Impeachment Effort
Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday defiantly denounced the impeachment effort led by GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, calling it a "farce" and "political spectacle" ahead of an expected vote in the House later in the day.
"What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability. It's a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment," Hegseth said.
He characterized Massie's impeachment effort as an attempt to harm President Trump due to his own "personal animus" for the president and dislike of the Trump administration's policies.
"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it," he added.
The House is expected to take up the impeachment resolution Tuesday evening, likely first holding a procedural vote to table the measure. Hegseth claimed that this impeachment effort is only the first step and will subsequently target service members involved in strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
"None of these are high crimes or misdemeanors," he argued. "They're partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military."
Hegseth likened the impeachment attempt to Trump's two impeachments, noting that while the House voted twice to impeach the president during his first term, he was acquitted both times by the Senate. He also pointed out that the House never moved to impeach his predecessor, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served under the Biden administration.
The briefing followed Massie's introduction of updated articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his office by launching the Iran war without congressional approval, ignoring laws designed to minimize civilian casualties, and retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, among other allegations.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican, has been criticizing Hegseth for months, but his renewed impeachment push comes in the wake of Republicans' midterm losses, which both parties attributed to the Iran war and soaring energy prices. The war's status remains uncertain, with Trump stating Monday he intends to maintain the "status quo" and does not believe escalating the conflict will be necessary.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed support for the impeachment resolution, stating, "I'm a hard yes. [Hegseth] abused his power, and he is the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran."
It remains to be seen whether any Republicans besides Massie will support the articles of impeachment. Massie indicated Monday afternoon that he had not received commitments from other Republicans to back the effort.
Given that Democrats will control the House in January, any impeachment effort would need at least three Republicans' support, assuming all Democrats vote in favor and considering any absences. Removing Hegseth from office by convicting him in the Senate would be even more challenging, requiring more than a dozen Republicans to join the effort.