Hegseth Responds to Impeachment Drive

WASHINGTON, D.C. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended his record before members of the military and press on Tuesday. He held the event at the Pentagon, his first public briefing there in six months. The news conference took place one day after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, reintroduced eight articles of impeachment against him in the House.

Hegseth characterized the congressional move as a personal attack rather than a legal necessity. He described the effort as a political spectacle driven by ego and resentment. He argued that the articles focused on policy disagreements rather than high crimes and misdemeanors.

Massie’s resolution cites U.S. military actions in Yemen and Venezuela. However, the central issue is the war with Iran. Massie stated that the Trump administration waged that conflict without congressional approval. He rejected the idea that Hegseth was ineffective, arguing instead that the secretary broke laws and violated the Constitution.

Hegseth maintained that the military operations were lawful. He said he stood behind every operation and expressed pride in executing them. He stated that he would perform the same actions again tomorrow. President Donald Trump supported Hegseth on Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday, the president posted on social media that he gave the press conference an A plus, plus, plus.

House Democrats, including Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said they will support the impeachment. Massie believes other House Republicans will join his effort, though the exact number of supporters remains unclear. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., predicted the effort would fail in the Republican-controlled Senate. Issa called the move a reaction by a defeated primary candidate that would die in the upper chamber.

The House faces a procedural decision in the coming days. Lawmakers may vote to set the resolution aside or send it to committee. If neither step occurs, the full House could vote on whether to impeach Hegseth later this week.