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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.
Hegseth said the effort sends a dangerous message to U.S. enemies around the world. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky. , reintroduced articles of impeachment on 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 efforts to impeach Trump during his first term — first over a phone call with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, 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 by 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 the U.S.’ standing in the war which Trump called a “minor incursion” that would last only four to six weeks . The conflict 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 and inflation.
The United States just recently moved military aircraft from an airbase in the United Kingdom amid threats from Iran, NBCNews reported. A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News that several military aircraft had left RAF Mildenhall as the security posture there had increased.
Hegseth defended his record as 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 he has denied.
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 sabatoge.”
Courtney Kube is a correspondent covering national security and the military for the NBC News Investigative Unit.
Gordon Lubold is a national security reporter for NBC News.
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Republican Rep. Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran conflict and other military actions. Hegseth dismissed the effort as “a farce” and “a stunt,” calling Massie a “disgruntled” congressman.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he is a “hard yes” on supporting efforts to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which are expected to be brought to a vote this week.
Asked in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” whether he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in his efforts to impeach Hegseth, Jeffries confirmed he supported the push.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said. “The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe.”
Jeffries’ support is a major endorsement of impeachment efforts against Hegseth and signals how other House Democrats could ultimately vote on the measure. The impeachment push also tests how far lawmakers are willing to go to oust Hegseth after voters have given low marks to the administration’s handling of the Iran war, which factored into the midterm election results .
Asked on ABC News whether Jeffries believed all other House Democrats would support the impeachment resolution, he said they would “have that conversation Tuesday morning.” The House is back in session this week, and the impeachment resolution is expected to be filed early this week, with a vote to follow.
Massie has been a vocal critic of Hegseth and the war in Iran. He previously filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth in September, but Republican leaders canceled planned votes, and the House left early, pushing the vote to after the election.
NBC News reported last week that President Donald Trump has told allies that he was considering replacing Hegseth. Trump, though, has publicly denied that he plans to replace Hegseth, telling reporters last week that he was “doing a very good job.”
At the same time, Hegseth has forcefully pushed back on Massie’s impeachment plans, referring to Massie in a social media video last week as a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.”
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction,” Hegseth said in the video. “Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Massie, though, said on social media last week that his “Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress.” Democrats, Massie said, would “have hearings & trials.”
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., also introduced a resolution to impeach Hegseth in April. In a post sharing Jeffries’ comments Sunday, Ansari said that Hegseth “must be held accountable.”
“Let’s get this to the floor and voted on this week,” she said in the post .
Megan Brand is a politics reporter for NBC News.
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, reacted to Democrats regaining control of the House, pledging to tackle the affordability crisis and “revive… the American Dream.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said he is a “hard yes” on supporting impeachment efforts against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which are expected to be brought to a vote this week.
Asked in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” whether he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in his efforts to impeach Hegseth, Jeffries confirmed he supported the push.
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“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries said. “The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe.”
Jeffries’ support marks a major endorsement of impeachment efforts against Hegseth and signals how other House Democrats could ultimately vote on the measure. The impeachment push also tests how far lawmakers are willing to go to oust the top Pentagon official after voters have given low marks to the administration’s handling of the war in Iran, which factored into midterms.
Asked on ABC whether Jeffries believed all other House Democrats would support the impeachment resolution, he said that they would “have that conversation Tuesday morning.” The House is back in session this week, and the impeachment resolution is expected to be filed early this week with a vote to follow.
Massie has been a vocal critic of Hegseth and the war in Iran. He previously filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth in September, but Republican leaders canceled planned votes and the House left early, pushing the vote to after the election.
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NBC News reported last week that President Donald Trump has told allies that he was considering replacing Hegseth. Trump, though, has publicly denied that he is planning to replace the secretary, telling reporters last week that Hegseth was “doing a very good job.”
At the same time, Hegseth has forcefully pushed back on Massie’s impeachment plans, referring to the congressman in a social media video last week as a “disgruntled, defeated congressman.”
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction,” Hegseth said in the video. “Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Massie, though, said in a social media post last week that his “Hegseth impeachment resolution is a much gentler version of what’s coming when Dem’s control Congress.” Democrats, Massie said, would “have hearings & trials.”
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