Hegseth rejects impeachment charges as Iran war fallout grows

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth rejected impeachment charges at a Pentagon news conference Tuesday, defending U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela and tying his decisions closely to President Donald Trump’s orders.

The appearance was Hegseth’s first news conference in nearly six months. It came as Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky pressed eight articles of impeachment against him, including allegations that he waged war against Iran without congressional authorization. Hegseth called the effort a “farce and a stunt” driven by “one disgruntled and defeated congressman.”

“The military operations in Iran and Venezuela were ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself,” Hegseth said, according to the BBC. Referring to Trump’s previous impeachments, he added: “If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week.”

Massie’s articles accuse Hegseth of violating the Constitution and Congress’s war powers resolution, which requires U.S. forces to leave unauthorized hostilities after 60 days, The Guardian reported. They also allege illegal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, the unlawful capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, unauthorized strikes against Yemen and failures to follow laws intended to minimize civilian casualties. Another article accuses Hegseth of retaliating against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly after Kelly urged service members to disobey illegal orders.

Hegseth denied that policy disputes amounted to impeachable offenses. “Not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause,” he said. He argued that no defense secretary had been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations and warned that proceedings against him could set a precedent for targeting service members who carry out orders.

“Put the secretary on trial today and the men and women who carry out the orders tomorrow,” he said. “They are going to have to come through me.”

The dispute unfolds after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. Vice-President JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the party’s defeat. Asked about that assessment, Hegseth said he respected Vance and would not engage in “finger pointing.” He acknowledged that the war was “not necessarily popular” but said it was necessary.

Hegseth also praised Stephen Miller, Trump’s newly appointed White House chief of staff, as an “incredible American patriot.” The BBC reported that Miller secured the role after arguing that the White House needed to wind down the Iran war.

Trump has continued to back Hegseth, describing him as a man who “won two wars,” The Guardian reported. As impeachment proceedings move toward votes in Congress, the defense secretary’s public response has emphasized both his rejection of Massie’s allegations and his support for the president who appointed him.