Pete Hegseth has vowed to withstand a fresh impeachment effort by Congress, accusing his political opponents of trying to remove him because of “massive egos and resentment”.
Speaking at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Donald Trump’s Secretary of War said the latest attempt to force him from office would “fail again”.
The proceedings were brought by outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who submitted eight articles of impeachment against Mr Hegseth. One alleges that he violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution by bypassing Congress to conduct the Iran War.
Congress also brought articles of impeachment against Mr Hegseth in 2025, accusing him of high crimes and misdemeanours. He remained in office after defeating that effort by Democrats.
Mr Hegseth said he was not overly concerned by the latest proceedings, arguing that his support for President Trump would protect him. He said he would “take that company every day of the week”, referring to standing alongside the president.
Addressing Democrats in Congress, Mr Hegseth described them as saboteurs and their actions as unpatriotic. He also compared his situation with that of former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who oversaw the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the incident involving a Chinese spy balloon but was never impeached.
Mr Hegseth used the appearance to praise the Trump administration’s conduct of the Iran War, saying the United States had “Kicked Their Teeth In”. He also praised the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.
