New Delhi: The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, dismissed the attempt to impeach him as a political stunt at a Pentagon news conference on Tuesday, He accused critics of trying to undermine The president, Donald Trump, and warned that the campaign could endanger American military personnel.
Hegseth described the impeachment effort as a “political spectacle” and accused Massie of attempting to stage a “show trial”. “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he told reporters. Claiming that the move “puts a target on the back of American warriors”, he declared: “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”
His remarks followed Republican representative, Thomas Massie’s, introduction of eight articles of impeachment on Monday, as RNA Media reported earlier. The Kentucky lawmaker accuses Hegseth of constitutional and legal violations during the Iran war and other US military operations.
Hegseth defends military operations
Hegseth defended the administration’s military operations as lawful and necessary to protect American security, rejecting the impeachment allegations as policy disagreements. He claimed that strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels had saved thousands of American lives and insisted that former Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, “was not kidnapped; he was brought to justice”.
“I stand beside every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” Hegseth said. He defended the Iran campaign as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, while acknowledging political criticism of the war.
US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, also defended Hegseth, arguing that the military operations were responses to imminent threats against the United States. He said Trump, as commander-in-chief, had the constitutional authority to order military action and that Hegseth had acted on the president’s instructions.
Three of Massie’s articles concern alleged violations of the 1973 war powers resolution, which generally requires unauthorized hostilities to end after 60 days unless congress approves them, with a possible further 30 days for withdrawal. The other charges include alleged failures to protect civilians, unlawful maritime killings, operations in Venezuela and Yemen, and retaliation against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
Massie, who lost his Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger, argues that Congress must enforce its constitutional authority over warfare. His allegations have not been established by a court or through impeachment proceedings.
Trump backs Hegseth as House vote approaches
Trump renewed his support after Hegseth’s briefing, praising his performance with an “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS” rating on Truth Social and criticizing Massie. House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, has declared himself a “hard yes” on impeachment, but the outcome remains uncertain in the narrowly Republican-controlled chamber.
Massie said lawmakers would first consider a procedural motion to dismiss the resolution on Tuesday. If it survives, the House could debate the charges; leaders could also seek to table or refer the measure to a committee.
A simple House majority is required to impeach a cabinet secretary, but impeachment would not itself remove Hegseth. Conviction and removal would require a two-thirds majority of senators present, a separate hurdle even if the House approves the articles.