Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used a Tuesday morning press conference to cast the House effort to impeach him as the latest chapter in Democrats’ campaign against President Donald Trump.
The embattled Pentagon chief compared the push to Trump’s two impeachments, neither of which ended in a conviction, and insisted this effort will also fail, Axios reported.
“Now they’re trying a third time. This time against a member of his cabinet,” Hegseth said. “They will fail again, and if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week.”
He went after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the outgoing Kentucky Republican leading the effort, calling him “disgruntled” and downplaying the charges as a policy dispute over impeachable offenses. He also tried to recast the effort as an attack on the troops.
“If they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me,” Hegseth said, defending the military operations as “ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress and executed by American warriors who did their jobs. . . . We sank the boats carrying poison into our communities.”
The impeachment articles accuse Hegseth of waging war on Iran without congressional authorization, ordering extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean boat strikes, and taking part in the kidnapping of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The House must act on the resolution by Wednesday, and Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s floor schedule lists a procedural motion on it among items that may be considered Tuesday. Only 399 members voted Monday night, 202 of them Democrats, which MS NOW said could leave Democrats with an effective majority if attendance stays thin.
Critics online were not persuaded by Hegseth’s last-ditch speech.
“Worked great at Nuremberg,” wrote The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson, responding to Hegseth’s press conference.
“Hegseth continues to call on right-wing people whose questions are basically why are he and Trump amazing and why do Democrats suck,” wrote MeidasNews’ Ron Filipkowski.
“Guy’s nuts,” cringed writer Roy Edroso.
“This is how accountability works, Pete,” wrote political scientist Steve Saideman.
“Unless I’m mistaken Hegseth didn’t even try to refute the charges in the impeachment,” posted popular Bluesky user Grudgie the Whale.
“Rumsfeld was evil but at least he could read a room. Jesus Christ,” wrote MS NOW producer Adam Weinstein.
“Bro I don’t think you wanna rely on the judgment of history,” posted journalist Philip Bump.
“Your regular reminder the Secretary of Defense is a dangerous idiot,” highlighted radio host Kai Ryssdal.
“Yeah, that’s how you prosecute war crimes, Whiskey Pete,” challenged historian Kevin Kruse. “You start with the people who ordered soldiers to violate the law and then you work your way down the chain of command to prosecute the ones who pulled the trigger. So glad you’re starting to get how this works. Enjoy jail!”
“On the one hand, yes, he’s just passing the buck trying to avoid consequences,” agreed writer and organizer Leonard Pierce. “On the other hand, he’s not wrong and if the Democrats go after Hegseth and let Trump off the hook they will have squandered a generational opportunity.”
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