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, emphasizing the lack of genuine oversight.
He characterized Massie's impeachment attempt as an effort to harm President Trump due to his own "personal animus" against the president and dislike of the Trump administration's policies.
"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it," he stated.
The House is anticipated to take up the impeachment resolution in the evening, according to Massie, who mentioned a possible procedural vote to table the measure first.
Hegseth claimed during his remarks at the Defense Department that the impeachment effort is merely the initial step, with actions against service members who participated in strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea expected to follow.
"None of these are high crimes or misdemeanors," he argued, blaming the effort on "partisan policy disagreements".
Comparing the impeachment attempt to Trump's two impeachments, Hegseth noted that while the House voted against the president twice, he was acquitted both times by the Senate.
"If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I'll take that company every day of the week," he said. He also pointed out that the House did not impeach his predecessor, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served under the Biden administration.
Hegseth highlighted the actions taken by the Defense Department during Trump's second term, including military operations against Iran, and praised the president for demonstrating leadership in going to war with Tehran.
He claimed to have "a ton of support" on Capitol Hill and suggested that Republicans would not vote for something they deemed "flimsy".
Shortly after Hegseth's remarks, President Trump praised his Pentagon chief and denounced Massie on Truth Social:
"Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!"
The briefing followed Massie's introduction of updated articles of impeachment against Hegseth the previous day. The resolution accuses Hegseth of abusing his office by launching the Iran war without congressional approval, ignoring laws aimed at minimizing civilian casualties, and retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, among other allegations.
Under House rules, the chamber has two legislative days to schedule a vote. Massie's renewed impeachment push comes after Republicans' midterm losses, which both parties attributed to the Iran war and soaring energy prices. The war's status remains unclear, with Trump indicating on Monday his intention to maintain the "status quo" and not escalate the conflict.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries expressed support for the impeachment resolution, stating, "I'm a 'hard yes' on the impeachment resolution... Hegseth 'abused his power' and 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 reported no commitments from other Republicans as of Monday afternoon.