US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed an impeachment effort against him as a political stunt, insisting that his handling of controversial military operations was justified, as President Donald Trump publicly reaffirmed his support for the Pentagon chief.
Hegseth spoke at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, describing the impeachment proceedings as a personal attack rather than a genuine attempt to hold him accountable for his actions in office.
The impeachment move comes amid mounting political pressure on the Trump administration following the Republican Party’s sweeping losses in the midterm elections, with the US military campaign against Iran emerging as a major source of criticism.
The initiative was launched on Monday by Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who accused Hegseth of violating legal safeguards governing military operations and abusing the powers of his office.
The move came hours after the House of Representatives resumed its first session following the midterm elections.
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” Hegseth told reporters, rejecting the allegations against him.
He further accused Massie of pursuing the impeachment effort to settle personal scores, arguing that the proceedings had nothing to do with congressional oversight or accountability.
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability. It’s a political spectacle,” he said.
Massie, a Republican from Kentucky and a vocal critic of Trump, recently lost his primary contest to a candidate backed by the president. Despite the defeat, he has pressed ahead with efforts to remove Hegseth from office.
Trump, however, has thrown his weight behind the defence secretary.
In a social media post on Tuesday, the president awarded Hegseth an “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS” for his response to the impeachment initiative, signalling that he remains firmly behind his embattled Pentagon chief.
Several allegations in the impeachment resolution centre on Hegseth’s handling of the war against Iran.
Massie accused him of violating the War Powers Resolution, which establishes requirements for the administration to consult Congress over US military interventions.
The resolution also questions Hegseth’s role in the 2025 military campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, alleging that the operation was launched without congressional authorisation and in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States.
Other accusations concern US military strikes against boats suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which Massie has characterised as extrajudicial killings.
Hegseth has rejected the criticisms, defending American military operations in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela and maintaining that the decisions taken under his leadership were justified.
“I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” he said.
The impeachment effort presents another political headache for the Trump administration, already facing the consequences of the Republicans’ midterm setbacks.
However, Trump’s emphatic endorsement of Hegseth suggests that the defence secretary retains the president’s confidence despite growing questions over his handling of US military engagements.
