Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Nov. 5 pushed back against efforts to impeach him in Congress while defending U.S. military operations against Iran as a “historic effort” by the Trump administration.
In a video message posted on X, Hegseth said “a disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies” were pursuing what he called “sham articles of impeachment” against him. He compared the effort to President Donald Trump’s previous impeachment cases.
“You see their policies don’t work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponent,” the Pentagon chief said.
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Hegseth highlighted his work at the Department of War, pointing to the removal of DEI-related initiatives, leadership changes, and efforts to rebuild defense industrial bases.
He reiterated that the U.S. military operation against Iran was necessary to ensure that Tehran will not have nuclear weapons.
Hegseth also emphasized the need for a reconciliation bill of at least $350 billion to rebuild and strengthen the military.
“Regardless of how people feel about the war, which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military,” he said.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said on Nov. 4 that he planned to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth when Congress reconvenes next week.
Massie first launched his impeachment effort on Sept. 15, alleging that Hegseth violated the War Powers Resolution by engaging in hostilities in Iran beyond the 90-day statutory limit without congressional authorization.
The lawmaker also accused Hegseth of “abusing the powers of the Department of Defense” in the Jan. 3 U.S. military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia, in Caracas. The couple is now in the United States facing charges of torture, narcoterrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses.
In a post on Nov. 5, Massie described his renewed impeachment resolution as “much gentler” than what Hegseth would face when Democrats took control of Congress next year following Republicans’ midterm losses.
“They’ll have hearings and trials,” he said in a social media post.
Massie suggested Trump should replace Hegseth while he still has enough support in the Senate to get the replacement confirmed.
“There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns,” he said in another post on Nov. 5.
Trump on Nov. 4 suggested that he had no intention of replacing Hegseth, saying he thinks the war secretary is “doing a very good job.”
The president previously said that he believed the war in Iran contributed to Republicans losing a majority in both chambers of Congress and losses in several state offices across the country in the midterm elections. But he stood by his decision to enter into the conflict.
Jill McLaughlin contributed to this report.
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