WorldPosted at: Nov 10 2026 7:45PM


US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth faces impeachment vote, prepares for rare press briefing

Washington, Nov 10 (UNI) US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing a potential impeachment vote in the House of Representatives this week, as he prepares to hold a rare Pentagon news briefing amid growing political scrutiny over his handling of the war with Iran.
The briefing on Tuesday comes a day after Republican Rep Thomas Massie introduced revised articles of impeachment against Hegseth, accusing him of abusing his office by launching the military campaign against Iran without congressional approval, disregarding laws intended to minimise civilian casualties and retaliating against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, among other allegations.
Under House rules, lawmakers have two legislative days to schedule a vote on the resolution.
Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, has criticised Hegseth for months, but his renewed impeachment effort follows sweeping Republican losses in last week's midterm elections. Members of both parties have partly blamed the unpopular Iran war and soaring energy prices for the electoral setback.
The future of the conflict remains uncertain, with President Donald Trump saying on Monday that he intends to maintain the current "status quo" and does not believe further escalation will be necessary.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, said he strongly supported the impeachment resolution.
"I'm a hard yes," Jeffries told reporters on Monday, accusing Hegseth of abusing his authority and describing him as the "architect of the reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran".
However, it remains unclear whether other Republicans will join Massie in supporting the measure. The Kentucky lawmaker said on Monday that no other Republican had committed to voting in favour.
Until Democrats take control of the House in January, the resolution would need the support of at least three Republicans if all Democrats back it, subject to any absences. Removing Hegseth through a Senate conviction would be considerably more difficult, requiring more than a dozen Republican senators to join the effort.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana criticised the timing of the impeachment push, telling CBS News that removing a Cabinet secretary during an ongoing international conflict would be a "terrible, terrible look".
Other Republicans have been less categorical. Rep French Hill of Arkansas said he wanted to hear the arguments before deciding whether impeachment was warranted or whether other disciplinary measures, including possible action by Trump, would be more appropriate.
Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska, a moderate Republican retiring in January, said he was still weighing the issue.
"I don't think he's been a good secretary, but do you impeach a guy for that?" Bacon told reporters on Monday.
Hegseth himself dismissed the threat, saying "We're not worried about that." He added that Tuesday's news conference would focus on the impeachment effort.
In a social media video last week, the defence secretary criticised Massie, describing him as a "disgruntled, defeated congressman" and accusing him of working with Democrats to pursue what he called sham impeachment proceedings.
Massie is leaving Congress in January after losing his Republican primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
Trump has also defended Hegseth, saying on Monday that he would stand by the defence secretary if the House voted to impeach him. He described Massie as a "stone-cold loser" and questioned the grounds for removing the Pentagon chief.
"What has Hegseth done?" Trump said. "Pete Hegseth won two wars. 'Oh, let's impeach him.'"
Massie, meanwhile, challenged Hegseth to publicly defend himself against the allegations contained in the resolution's eight articles of impeachment.
"I would like to see him go through the eight articles of impeachment. Just make the argument from a podium. You can use notes. Get the lawyers to help you. Tell us why you are not guilty of each of these eight articles of impeachment," he said.
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