Hegseth Faces Impeachment Fight: Pentagon Chief Calls Effort a Stunt

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended his position Tuesday after a Kentucky Republican introduced a formal effort to remove him from office. The defense chief held his first press briefing from the Pentagon in six months to address the impeachment resolution filed by outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie. Hegseth argued that the move targets him over policy differences rather than the specific legal standards written into the Constitution.

Hegseth told reporters that no Secretary of War or Secretary of Defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations in the 250 years of the American republic. He described Massie's articles as a farce and a stunt driven by ego and resentment. The secretary called the Kentucky legislator disgruntled, noting that Massie lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent earlier this year.

Massie filed the resolution in the House on Monday. The document focuses largely on the war in Iran but also references Hegseth's role in military actions against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and operations in Venezuela. Massie stated that Hegseth's actions amount to high crimes and misdemeanors that warrant impeachment. A vote in the House could occur by midweek, creating pressure on Republicans who blamed their midterm election losses on the conflict.

The conflict with Iran has lasted more than eight months. The U.S. military has maintained intermittent operations against Iranian targets and conducted fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America. Trump said Monday that the war is militarily effectively over and that Iran would love to make a deal. However, Iran has continued to strike U.S. military bases in the Middle East and disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, which has driven up global oil prices.

Hegseth attempted to frame the impeachment effort as an attack on the service members rather than himself. He said politicians in Washington have accused sailors and pilots who struck narco-terrorist boats of war crimes for doing their job. The secretary argued that putting him on trial is the next step toward targeting the men and women who carried out the orders. He stated that if lawmakers want to come for the warriors, they will have to come through him.

The impeachment articles only target Hegseth and do not mention any members of the military. Hegseth defended his stewardship of the U.S. military by pointing to what he described as success. He told reporters after a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island that politically motivated people have policy disagreements with that success. He added that if he wants to litigate the military actions taken by the administration, he is happy to do it.

Hegseth released a video on social media last week arguing that the impeachment process is about the politics of personal destruction. He said the effort will not work with him and that he is ready for the fight. Following the release, scores of Pentagon political appointees posted images of Hegseth with the words Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the department until the end of President Trump's term in office.