Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday railed against the Republican congressman who introduced articles of impeachment against him and aggressively defended his leadership in the Iran war and other military operations.
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability. It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment,” Hegseth said a day after Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., put forward the eight impeachment articles.
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said during his first Pentagon news conference in six months.
The articles accuse Hegseth of waging war in contravention of Congress, carrying out extrajudicial killings tied to boat strikes in the Caribbean against purported drug smugglers, and suppressing free speech by targeting Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a veteran.
Massie, a libertarian who lost his Republican primary after clashing with President Donald Trump, kicked off the impeachment battle less than a week after a blue-wave midterm that will flip House and Senate control to Democrats.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is poised to be speaker of the House in the next Congress, on Sunday said Democrats are a “hard yes” on impeaching Hegseth.
The House is set to vote Tuesday on a procedural motion related to the impeachment resolution. If it passes, the measure will proceed to a debate and vote by the end of the week. Impeachment resolutions are privileged, meaning the House must act on them, table them or vote to refer them to committee within two legislative days.
Hegseth accused Massie of performing a “stunt” that sends dangerous signals to America’s enemies.
“It puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signaling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time,” Hegseth said. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”
Trump piled on, writing in a Truth Social post right after Hegseth’s presser ended that the Pentagon chief “gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”
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— CNBC’s Garrett Downs contributed reporting.
