Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls impeachment push a ‘farce’ as US House heads toward vote

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth struck a defiant tone Tuesday as he faces potential impeachment by the U.S. House of Representatives this week, casting the effort as an attack on American service members.

Hegseth during a rare news conference at the Pentagon called the impeachment effort a “farce” and flatly rejected the notion that he had committed impeachable offenses as the top civilian leader of the military. He likened himself to President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached during his first term.

“Let’s be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth said.

The House, led by Republicans during the lame-duck session following the Nov. 3 election, is set to vote on impeaching Hegseth as soon as Wednesday, with a procedural vote expected later Tuesday. 

Massie impeachment articles

Rep. Thomas Massie, an outgoing Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment Monday alleging the defense secretary waged unlawful war against Iran, ordered extrajudicial killings and ignored laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, among other charges. 

Impeachment would represent an extraordinary rebuke of one of the most divisive members of Trump’s Cabinet. Democrats, as well as some Republicans, are expected to support the effort, raising the possibility the articles will pass and trigger a trial in the Senate, though the outcome is unclear there.

Hegseth, a 46-year-old former Fox News personality who narrowly won Senate confirmation last year, has sought to project a swashbuckling, masculine image as the military’s top civilian leader. He has rebranded the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” purged numerous high-ranking officers and tried to kick critical media outlets out of the Pentagon.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called Massie a “disgruntled and defeated congressman” who is attempting a “political spectacle” driven by ego and resentment. Massie, who has often clashed with Trump, lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger.

“It’s a farce and it’s a stunt and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said.

Drug boats

Massie told reporters on Monday that Hegseth’s conduct of the military has endangered Americans. 

As an example, he pointed to a second strike conducted on survivors of a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean that had already been hit, suggesting it will encourage enemies of the U.S. to act similarly in the future. Hegseth has denied ordering the strike, but said he supported it.

Massie dismissed Hegseth’s attacks on him, adding that he was “being polite” by using the impeachment process, which would only remove Hegseth from office but not subject him to criminal charges.

“Well, he’s right about one thing, I’m a defeated congressman. I’m not disgruntled,” Massie said.

The House can impeach Hegseth with a simple majority vote, though GOP leaders may first attempt to derail the measure with procedural votes, such as sending the articles to a committee. 

But convicting Hegseth and removing him as defense secretary will take a two-thirds vote in the Senate — 67 senators — a high bar to clear. 

The Senate is currently composed of 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats, including two independent senators who caucus with Democrats. Beginning in January, Democrats will control the chamber with at least 54 seats.

Trump praise

Trump has so far stood by Hegseth. He praised the defense secretary in multiple public remarks over the past two weeks,  saying he’s “done a fantastic job” in reducing the number of “woke” four-star generals, and for conducting the “war with Venezuela,” which he said “was over in 48 minutes.”

“Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.

Impeachment would mark a significant escalation in Congress’ push to restrain Trump’s war in Iran — and its efforts to assert authority over presidential warmaking. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, something lawmakers haven’t done since World War II.

The U.S. military, in conjunction with Israeli forces, attacked Iran in late February. The American campaign, overseen by Hegseth, killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and numerous other Iranian officials. 

Iran retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. bases across the Middle East and moving to cut off traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping point for oil. The lack of safe, regular access to the strait has sent energy prices rising in the U.S. and around the world.

War Powers Resolution

The articles of impeachment include three articles alleging Hegseth directed military operations against Iran in violation of the War Powers Resolution, legislation Congress approved in 1973 over the veto of President Richard Nixon. The War Powers Resolution sets limits on when presidents can engage in military conflict without authorization by Congress.

The legality of the War Powers Resolution has long been disputed, with the executive branch asserting it improperly interferes with the president’s conduct of foreign policy. Secretary of State Marco Rubio as recently as May called the War Powers Resolution unconstitutional.

Impeachment would signal that executive branch officials could face consequences if they don’t abide by the War Powers Resolution.

“Pete Hegseth is obligated to follow the laws on the books, not the laws that he wants to follow,” Massie said Monday.

Hegseth disputed the allegations, saying he had overseen lawful military operations first ordered by Trump. He said initiating the impeachment effort ahead of Veterans Day on Wednesday sends a message to service members that “their service was a crime.”

“We destroyed terror regimes’ capabilities. We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities. We put a narco dictator in handcuffs,” Hegseth said. “These are not high crimes. This is the job, and it’s a job well done.”

Next Congress

Massie, who has said he would drop his impeachment effort if Hegseth resigns, suggested that the defense secretary will face more intense scrutiny in the next Congress if he survives the current impeachment effort.

Democrats, Massie said, will hold hearings on Hegseth’s conduct that could prompt more Republican senators to vote to convict him. Democrats will have a strong majority in the House beginning in January and will almost certainly have enough votes to impeach Hegseth if Massie’s effort comes up short.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat expected to become speaker in January, told reporters Monday that he is a “hard yes” on Massie’s articles of impeachment.

“He’s the architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran,” Jeffries said of Hegseth.

On Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that Hegseth had won two wars, referring to the conflicts in Iran and Venezuela, where U.S. special forces seized President Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime raid. Maduro is now awaiting trial in the United States on federal narco-terrorism charges.

Eighteen U.S. service members have died since the start of the war in Iran on Feb. 28, with the most recent deaths in July, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System. No service members died in Venezuela.

Trump questioned why leaders who oversaw past wars with far higher casualty counts weren’t impeached.

“We lost 18 — 18,” Trump said. “They lost 65,000 in Vietnam.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.