War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he would not be deterred by an impeachment effort launched by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment on Monday, alleging Hegseth had committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
The charges include waging war in violation of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, disregarding laws intended to limit civilian casualties, ordering extrajudicial killings, restricting free speech, kidnapping former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and carrying out an unlawful war in Yemen.
At a Tuesday press conference, Hegseth dismissed the effort as a political spectacle, saying it was fueled by what he called Massie’s ego and resentment. He said stepping aside would hand America’s adversaries a propaganda win and could expose military personnel further down the chain of command to prosecution.
Hegseth said no secretary of war or defense in the country’s 250-year history had been impeached for conducting lawful military operations. He pointed to past U.S. interventions in Lebanon, Kosovo, Iraq, and Syria, saying they had not led to the impeachment of his predecessors.
He characterized Massie’s accusations as policy disputes rather than impeachable offenses, arguing that disagreements should be addressed through legislation and debate.
“It’s debate. It’s the next presidential election,” Hegseth said. He argued that impeachment would instead give Democrats an opportunity to stage what he called a show trial, even as Republicans control Congress.
Hegseth also defended the military actions named in the charges, including operations involving Iran, drug cartels, Maduro, and Yemen. He said they were lawful, ordered by the commander in chief and then by him, reported to Congress, and carried out by U.S. service members.
“This is not about me,” he said, adding that politicians in Washington had accused sailors and pilots who targeted suspected narco-terrorist boats of war crimes for carrying out their duties.
Hegseth warned that putting him on trial could put the service members who followed those orders in the dock next.
He did not answer a question about Vice President JD Vance’s criticism that the Iran conflict contributed to Republican losses in the midterm elections. Hegseth did, however, refer to past efforts to impeach President Donald Trump, saying those seeking to remove him would fail as well.
Trump voiced support for Hegseth in a Truth Social post Tuesday morning, praising his response to Massie and calling the congressman a “total loser.”
On Monday, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said Hegseth would not be discouraged by what he described as partisan efforts to launch baseless investigations. Parnell said the department had followed the law and that Hegseth would continue supporting the Constitution, leading U.S. troops, and protecting the country.
