U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday dismissed the effort to impeach him as a “farce that will fail,” speaking at his first Pentagon news conference since May, a day after Representative Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against him.
Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced the articles on Monday, 9 November, accusing Hegseth of waging war against Iran without congressional approval and of other abuses of power, including alleged violations of the War Powers Resolution.
Hegseth defended the Iran operations, saying: “I stand beside every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.” He added: “They will fail again,” and “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”
Massie said on X that the House would hold a first vote on Tuesday on a procedural motion to kill the resolution. If that motion fails, a full debate and a vote on the articles themselves would follow. Reports expect the House vote by Wednesday under the two-day clock.
If impeached, Hegseth would be the first civilian Pentagon chief impeached since William Belknap in 1876. Impeachment requires a simple majority in the House, while conviction in the Senate needs two-thirds and looks unlikely, with Republicans holding 53 of the 100 seats. House Speaker Mike Johnson opposes the effort, and President Trump has backed Hegseth.
Source: Reuters
