Pete Hegseth decries impeachment push, defends Iran war handling

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday railed against the Republican congressman who introduced articles of impeachment against him and aggressively defended his leadership in the Iran war and other military operations.

“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 a day after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., put forward the eight impeachment articles.

“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said during his first Pentagon news conference in six months.

The articles accuse Hegseth of waging war in contravention of Congress, carrying out extrajudicial killings tied to boat strikes in the Caribbean against purported drug smugglers and suppressing free speech by targeting Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a military veteran.

Massie, a libertarian who lost his Republican primary in May after clashing with President Donald Trump, kicked off the impeachment battle less than a week after a blue-wave midterm that will flip House and Senate control to Democrats.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who is poised to be speaker of the House in the next Congress, on Sunday said Democrats are a “hard yes” on impeaching Hegseth. He reiterated his support on Monday in a press conference.

The House is set to vote Tuesday on a procedural motion related to the impeachment resolution. If it passes, the measure will proceed to a debate and vote. Impeachment resolutions are privileged, meaning the House must act on them, table them or vote to refer them to committee within two legislative days.

Hegseth accused Massie of performing a “stunt” that sends dangerous signals to America’s enemies.

“It puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signaling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time,” Hegseth said. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”

Trump piled on, writing in a Truth Social post right after Hegseth’s presser ended that the Pentagon chief “gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”

Trump, who was impeached twice during his first presidential term, said Monday that he would stand by Hegseth even if the House impeaches him.

Republicans hold a slim 218-214 majority in the House, but it is unclear if the rest of the GOP conference will be able to band together to defeat Massie’s impeachment resolution. Some Republicans, notably including Vice President JD Vance, have directly blamed their midterm losses on the Iran war, which continues to see intermittent fighting amid an uneasy stalemate.

If Hegseth is impeached, the Senate would be tasked with holding a trial and voting on whether to remove him from office. A two-thirds majority is required for conviction and removal. No U.S. Cabinet secretary has ever been removed by the Senate, though two have been impeached.

— CNBC’s Garrett Downs contributed reporting.