US secretary of war Pete Hegseth, facing calls for his impeachment following the Republicans' poor performance in the midterm elections, which has been blamed on the Iran war, held a press conference on Tuesday (local time) to defend his record.
The briefing came a day after President Donald Trump backed Hegseth, saying that he had led the US to victory in "two wars" — referring to the Iran war and the US military intervention in Venezuela in January, which resulted in the removal of Nicolas Maduro. Trump also took to his Truth Social platform while Hegseth was addressing reporters, praising his performance and giving him an "A" PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defence against what he described as a "disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!"
The press conference was the Pentagon chief's first since May and came a day after Massie, a Republican Representative from Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against him.
He described the impeachment efforts as sending a message to Washington's adversaries that the US would punish its own military personnel and political leadership for carrying out "lawful operations."
"Impeachment tells our enemies that the US will punish its own warriors and leadership for carrying out lawful military operations," Hegseth told reporters.
"In the 250 years of our American republic, no secretary of war or secretary of defence has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations. And in our case, successful ones, at that. Not once. War Powers Resolution or not. Not under Reagan in Lebanon, not under Clinton in Kosovo, not under Obama in Iraq and Syria, not under Biden in Iraq and Syria. That's the standard. The history is clear and it's very straightforward," he added.
Attacking Massie, Hegseth described him as a "disgruntled and defeated" Congressman.
"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. Timed for one man's final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country, and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it. It's a farce, and it's a stunt. And everybody knows it," the former Fox News contributor remarked.
Massie's resolution accuses Hegseth of ordering military operations in Iran without congressional authorisation, disregarding laws governing the protection of civilians and directing the US Department of Defense to carry out extrajudicial killings.
It also raise allegations concerning US military operations in Yemen and Venezuela, as well as strikes on vessels in the Western Hemisphere suspected of carrying narcotics. The resolution further alleges that Hegseth's approach to military rules of engagement contributed to civilian casualties, including in a deadly US strike on an elementary school in Iran's Minab.
Under the US Constitution, the House of Representatives has the sole power to impeach federal officials, while the Senate conducts impeachment trials. A simple majority in the House is required to approve articles of impeachment, while a two-thirds majority in the Senate is needed to convict and remove an official from office, CNN reported.
House Republican leaders have two legislative days to schedule a vote on Massie's resolution. They can also move to table it, effectively blocking the impeachment effort.
If the House approves the articles, Hegseth would become the third Cabinet secretary in US history to be impeached. Former Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached in 1876 over allegations of corruption and accepting kickbacks. Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the Republican-controlled House in 2024 over his handling of immigration at the US-Mexico border. The Democratic-controlled Senate subsequently dismissed the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas.
(With agency inputs)