WorldPosted at: Nov 10 2026 7:32PM


Hegseth dismisses impeachment push as 'political spectacle', defends US war on Iran

Washington, Nov 10 (UNI) Dismissing an impeachment effort against him as a "political spectacle" and "a stunt",US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the Trump administration's military campaign against Iran as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Speaking at his first Pentagon news conference in about six months, Hegseth described the impeachment move by Republican Representative Thomas Massie as "a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment" and said he is not worried about the effort.
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, accusing him of violating the Constitution and other laws through US military operations in Iran and elsewhere, including launching military action without congressional authorisation and directing the Pentagon to carry out extrajudicial killings.
"I'm not worried," Hegseth said, calling Massie as a "disgruntled Congressman" and accusing him of pursuing political grievances rather than legitimate oversight.
The House of Representatives is expected to take up a procedural vote on Tuesday that could determine whether the impeachment articles advance to consideration by the full chamber. The outcome will offer an early indication of how many Republicans are prepared to break with the administration over Hegseth's handling of the Iran conflict.
Hegseth rejected the allegations, arguing that disagreements over military policy did not constitute impeachable offences.
"These were lawful military operations," he said, describing the actions as successful and questioning why previous defence secretaries had not faced impeachment over comparable military operations.
"Not once, war powers resolution or not, not under Reagan in Lebanon, not under Clinton in Kosovo, not under Obama in Iraq and Syria, not under Biden in Iraq and Syria," he said, arguing that historical precedent supported his position.
Drawing a parallel with President Donald Trump's two impeachments during his first term, Hegseth said the latest effort against him would also fail.
"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," he said.
"Now they're trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again," he added, saying he would accept the political consequences of standing by Trump.
Trump has publicly backed Hegseth, saying that he would stand by the defence secretary if the House impeached him. He also attacked Massie, calling the Kentucky Republican a "stone cold loser".
Hegseth also defended the decision to attack Iran, saying he agreed with Trump that the military campaign was justified even if it proved unpopular with voters.
Asked whether he agreed with Vice President JD Vance's assessment that the Iran war was a major factor behind Republican losses in the midterm elections, Hegseth said he respected Vance but would not engage in finger-pointing.
"Thankfully, politics is not really my thing. I do the Department of War and making sure we're prepared and ready," he said.
He added that the military action had been undertaken for the right reasons.
"Absolutely. It was done for the right reasons to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon," Hegseth said, adding that he agreed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the operation "may have been necessary".
The Trump administration has cited Iran's ballistic missile programme and alleged preparations to attack US bases and regional allies as reasons for the military campaign. The White House had previously said US strikes in June 2025 had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme.
Hegseth said the Pentagon's legislative affairs team has been working with House Republican leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, to counter the impeachment effort.
Although the House could vote to impeach Hegseth but removal from office would require a separate Senate trial and a two-thirds majority vote to convict. Massie (R-Ky.) said that Hegseth will not be in his role by the new year.UNI AAB
Tags: #Hegseth dismisses impeachment push as 'political spectacle'# defends US war on Iran
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