WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dug in for a fight Tuesday against his potential impeachment in Congress, telling reporters that a rogue lawmaker is targeting him over “policy disagreements” and not the high crimes or offenses the nation’s founders intended.
The embattled Pentagon chief spoke at his first press briefing from the five-sided building in six months, launching a counteroffensive against outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to impeach him over his handling of the unpopular war against Iran and other actions.
“In the 250 years of our American republic, no Secretary of War has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations,” Hegseth told reporters. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said.
The briefing was Hegseth’s first since May even as the U.S. military has kept up intermittent operations against Iran as well as fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America.
Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, filed the impeachment resolution in the House on Monday. It sets the stage for a dramatic vote on whether to remove a prominent Trump administration figure following sweeping losses for Republicans in last week’s midterm elections that many at least partly blamed on the Iran conflict and its economic impact.
The resolution largely focuses on the war on Iran but also includes references to Hegseth’s role in military actions in Yemen against Houthi militants and Venezuela. Massie said Hegseth’s actions amount to “high crimes and misdemeanors” and his leadership at the Pentagon “warrants impeachment”.
A vote in the House could come by midweek, putting pressure on Republicans – many of whom blamed their election wipeout on the Iran war – but next steps are highly uncertain.