Hegseth calls bipartisan impeachment push a 'farce' and vows to keep defending his record
Trump praised the defense secretary on social media, calling Rep. Thomas Massie, the resolution's sponsor, a 'total loser.'
Latest · Nov 10 Hegseth calls the bipartisan impeachment push a 'farce' and vows to keep defending his record; Trump calls sponsor Massie a 'total loser'.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing back hard against an impeachment resolution introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving Congress. Massie read the resolution from the House floor shortly after the chamber returned for its first session since the midterm elections. At a Pentagon news conference, Hegseth called the effort "a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment" and said it amounted to sabotage against U.S. troops. He said he stood behind military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen and described them as lawful. He took six questions before ending the briefing and avoided questions about political backlash to the war in the midterms. President Donald Trump praised Hegseth in a Truth Social post, giving him an "A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS" and calling Massie a "TOTAL LOSER." Hegseth thanked the president and said the impeachment would not stop him. The resolution contains eight articles of impeachment.
Hegseth argued that past defense leaders were never impeached for carrying out lawful military operations, pointing to actions under several earlier presidents. He framed the dispute as one over policy, saying the proper remedy is legislation, debate or the next presidential election.
Separately, the Senate voted 73-25 to take up bipartisan legislation to speed up permitting reviews for power data centers and other infrastructure projects.
Key points
- Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth.
- Hegseth called the effort a farce and said it was sabotage against U.S. troops.
- Trump publicly backed Hegseth and called Massie a 'total loser.'
Read the original reporting (3)
Earlier coverage
- House Democrats back impeachment push against Defense Secretary Hegseth after midterms
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he is a "hard yes" on a resolution to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth, backing a plan by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Jeffries said Hegseth had abused his power and engineered the Iran war, which he said has raised prices and made the country less safe.
Massie filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth in early September and plans to force a vote at the start of the week, giving Hegseth an ultimatum: resign or face impeachment. Massie, who is leaving Congress after being replaced by a Trump-backed successor, said he would not reintroduce the articles if Hegseth resigns. Jeffries said the Democratic caucus would discuss the articles when lawmakers return to Washington on Tuesday.
Democrats won significant majorities in the House and Senate on Tuesday and said they plan to vote to remove Hegseth and also seek to oust Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pathoplasty Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said the decision belongs to Congress, but that real questions about Hegseth's tenure at the Pentagon need answers.
Why it mattered: Impeachment would be a rare step against a Cabinet secretary and could shape oversight of the Pentagon during the final two years of the Trump administration. The dispute ties directly to the Iran war, which has driven up energy prices that American households pay at the pump.
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Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
