Pete Hegseth: ‘Sabotage’ Claim as House Weighs Impeachment
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called an impeachment effort a political spectacle as the House of Representatives prepared to vote on a resolution brought by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump backed Hegseth, while Massie said the secretary had broken the law.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called an impeachment effort “sabotage” in Washington as the House of Representatives prepared to consider a resolution accusing him of misconduct. The dispute puts the administration’s decisions on military action and national security before lawmakers.
Hegseth rejected the allegations at a news conference, describing the effort as a political spectacle driven by a “disgruntled and defeated congressman.” He said his actions in office had been legal, including the war in Iran and the killing of suspected drug traffickers in international waters.
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said. He argued the impeachment attempt was an attack on U.S. troops ahead of Veterans Day.
Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky brought the resolution. The outgoing congressman lost his primary to a challenger backed by President Donald Trump.
The resolution contains eight articles of impeachment filed on Monday. They accuse Hegseth of keeping U.S. troops in the Iran war without congressional authorization, disregarding laws intended to reduce civilian casualties, abducting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and overseeing extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers.
The articles also accuse Hegseth of suppressing free speech and initiating an illegal war in Yemen. Massie said the Iran operation had continued for 256 days without congressional authorization.
“The law requires our military to withdraw from hostilities within 60 days if Congress does not authorise the activity,” Massie wrote on X. “Hegseth is breaking the law. Not even debatable.”
Hegseth compared the effort to the two impeachments Trump faced in the House during his first term. He called the current resolution a “show trial against the president and the secretary of war.”
“This is not patriotism, this is sabotage,” Hegseth told reporters. He said the attempt would signal to U.S. adversaries that lawmakers could punish military leaders for carrying out lawful orders.
Trump publicly backed Hegseth, praising the news conference on Truth Social as “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS.” Vice President JD Vance also defended the secretary, despite criticizing the Iran war.
“Like so much of Congress, impeachment has become a ridiculous show that stands in for actual policymaking,” Vance wrote on X. He said Congress had other ways to express policy disagreements and called impeachment “ultimately, inconsequential.”
A House vote was expected on Tuesday evening, U.S. time.
