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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth compared the impeachment effort against him to the two impeachment proceedings faced by President Donald Trump during his first term, expressing confidence that the latest attempt would also fail.
Speaking during a press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday (local time), Hegseth defended his role in the Trump administration's military operations and praised the President's leadership. The Secretary of War expressed confidence that the impeachment effort would not succeed, saying that he was prepared to face the political consequences of standing with Trump. "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 said. Hegseth said, "President Trump gave this department what it has not had in a generation: a Commander-in-Chief with the courage to lead and the resolve to win. I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them." Referring to the two impeachment proceedings against Trump during his first term in 2019 and 2021, Hegseth accused political opponents of attempting to repeat the same approach against the current administration. "We've seen this show before. They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call. They impeached him again in his final week in office. Both times they failed. Both times he came back stronger. And the American people sent him back to the White House," he said. "Now they're trying a third time--this time against a member of his cabinet," Hegseth added. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump backed Hegseth following his press conference, awarding him an "A" PLUS PLUS PLUS for his defence against the impeachment effort. In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised Hegseth's response and criticised Representative Thomas Massie, who introduced the impeachment resolution. "Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS PLUS PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" Trump posted. Massie, a Republican Congressman from Kentucky, introduced a privileged resolution containing eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. The resolution primarily accuses the Pentagon chief of violating the US Constitution and the War Powers Act by conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorisation. It also raises concerns over US military operations in Yemen and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro. He said that the House of Representatives would vote on his impeachment resolution against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with an initial procedural vote expected to determine whether the resolution proceeds to debate and a vote on the articles of impeachment. On Tuesday (local time), in a post on X, Massie said the first vote would concern a procedural motion aimed at blocking the resolution, including a possible motion to refer it to a committee. He added that if lawmakers overcame the procedural hurdle, the House would proceed to a debate and vote on the impeachment articles. Hegseth has rejected the allegations, maintaining that the operations were lawful and carried out on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief. (ANI)
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