US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called an impeachment attempt against him a “farce” and a “stunt,” saying it is driven by ego and resentment. He spoke at the Pentagon, at his first news conference in six months, a day after a fellow Republican introduced articles of impeachment in the House of Representatives.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced the articles on Monday. He says Hegseth violated the Constitution by not seeking congressional approval for the war on Iran. The effort will likely fail because Republicans hold the majority in Congress until January.
Hegseth described Massie as “one disgruntled and defeated congressman” and said no secretary of war has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations. Referring to Donald Trump’s impeachments in 2019 and 2021, he said “we’ve seen this show before” and that those efforts failed. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said.
He defended the military operations. “Every one was a lawful operation, ordered by the commander in chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress and executed by American warriors who did their job,” he said. He added that the missions “are not high crimes.”
Hegseth called Operation Epic Fury, the joint war on Iran by the United States and Israel, a historic military victory. He said Iran’s military is now “in ruin” and that Iran started the war “47 years ago.” He said Trump “did the tough, right thing” for the safety and security of America.
He also praised the operation that removed former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro from power, saying Maduro was “not kidnapped” but brought to justice. Maduro was taken to New York on January 3. He faces drugs, weapons and torture charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Asked about Vice President JD Vance’s comment that the Iran war was a major reason Republicans lost in the midterms, Hegseth said he respects Vance and will not engage in “finger pointing.” He said he agrees with the president that if they had to do it all over again, they would, because it was done to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.
Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Hegseth gets an “A” plus for his defense against Massie, whom he called a “total loser.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Paris for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, said Hegseth carried out the commander in chief’s direct orders “quite effectively.”
Source: BBC
