Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that the effort to impeach him by an outgoing Republican congressman is nothing but a “political spectacle.”
“It’s a farce and it’s a stunt and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said during a press conference at the Pentagon.
He said the effort sends a dangerous message to America’s enemies around the world. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reintroduced articles of impeachment Monday over the war with Iran and other military actions that were ordered by President Donald Trump.
Hegseth likened the effort to Congress’ two failed impeachment trials against Trump during his first term — first over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the second over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol.
“Both times they failed, both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House,” Hegseth said. “Now they’re trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again, and if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week.”
Trump weighed in on social media shortly after Hegseth finished, writing that the defense secretary “gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”
Hegseth painted a rosy picture of America’s standing in the Iran war. He defended his record as defense secretary as he listed his accomplishments over the war with Iran, operations in Latin America to go after alleged drug boats, and the military’s secret effort to nab Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro and his wife are facing charges in the U.S. that they have denied.
Trump called the Iran conflict a “minor incursion” that would last only four to six weeks. It has dragged on into its ninth month, U.S. munitions are depleted and the Republicans saw massive losses in the midterm elections over high gas prices, inflation and opposition to the Iran war.
The United States just recently moved military aircraft from an air base in the United Kingdom amid threats from Iran, NBC News reported. A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that several military aircraft had left RAF Mildenhall as the security posture there had increased.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress have been frustrated by the amount and caliber of information Hegseth has provided them about the ballooning costs of the Iran conflict, which could be as high $100 billion, NBC news has reported. The Pentagon is still seeking a budget that has not yet been approved.
Massie, a longtime Trump critic who’s retiring from Congress at the end of the year, brought eight charges against Hegseth, accusing him of “waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat.”
His actions mean that House GOP leaders will be forced to bring the impeachment articles up for a floor vote within two legislative days because he filed the measure as privileged under House rules.
A simple majority vote is required in the House for the articles to be approved. If the effort is successful, the resolution is then sent to the Senate to decide whether to convict and remove Hegseth from office. Republicans could also make a motion to kill the resolution, which would require a majority vote.
“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth said. “This is sabotage.”
