Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended his record at a Pentagon news briefing on Tuesday as the House of Representatives prepared for a procedural vote on impeachment articles.
Striking a defiant tone, Hegseth blasted the congressional effort as a farce and thanked President Donald Trump for his continued support. U.S. Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, accusing him of abuses of power including ordering a war with Iran without imminent threat or congressional approval.
“Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they’re trying a third time. This time against a member of his cabinet,” Hegseth said, referencing prior impeachments of Trump.
Massie stated in a post on X that if the House overcomes the procedural hurdles, “we will proceed to a real debate and vote on the Articles of Impeachment.” Congressional sources indicate the resolution could secure enough votes to pass the Republican-controlled House before Democrats take over on January 3, though conviction remains unlikely in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats and a two-thirds majority is required.
Voter anger over the Iran conflict helped Democrats win control of Congress in the midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday showed a majority of Americans want the incoming Democratic-majority U.S. Congress to end the war.
Hegseth defended the conflict during the briefing, citing Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “It’s not necessarily popular, but it may have been necessary, and that’s certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking,” Hegseth said, quoting Rubio.
President Trump reiterated his backing on Truth Social after the briefing concluded, writing, “Pete Hegseth gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”
“For the first time in American history, a cabinet secretary overseeing America’s military is being attacked not for losing conflicts with our enemies, but for winning them,” Hegseth said. He added that the impeachment campaign attempts to “do damage to this president, this country, and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it.”
Hegseth would be the first U.S. defense secretary to be impeached. The last time any civilian leader of the U.S. military was impeached was in 1876, when William Belknap held the title “secretary of war.” Hegseth calls himself secretary of war, part of his effort to rebrand a military he said was too weak and “woke” when he took office last year.
Beyond the Iran conflict, the eight articles of impeachment include allegations that Hegseth extrajudicially executed suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Hegseth defended all three operations as lawful.
“There’s also an understanding that this is one disgruntled guy who drew up some really flimsy articles that aren’t grounded and actually in the Constitution, or things that are high crimes and misdemeanors, and so whether they love everything that’s been done, they don’t want to vote for something that isn’t real,” Hegseth said regarding potential Republican defections on the vote.
Addressing the prospect of commanders facing investigations for carrying out strikes on suspected drug boats, Hegseth issued a warning. “Put the secretary on trial today, and the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow,” he said.
Earlier coverage: Rep. Thomas Massie Files Impeachment Resolution Against Pete Hegseth