Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 | 8:50 a.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dug successful for a combat Tuesday against his potential impeachment successful Congress, contending that a rogue lawmaker is undermining American troops successful warfare zones by targeting him implicit specified “policy disagreements” and not the precocious crimes required successful the Constitution for his imaginable removal.
The embattled Pentagon main has launched a counteroffensive against outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s effort to unit him from bureau implicit his handling of the unpopular Iran war and different actions. A House ballot connected whether to determination guardant with the impeachment is expected aboriginal Tuesday.
Hegseth gave a defiant and politicized defence of his stewardship of the U.S. subject successful his archetypal quality league astatine the Pentagon successful six months. He chose to deed backmost astatine the rising bipartisan choler implicit battlefield strategy portion offering fewer details astir intermittent operations against Iran oregon fatal strikes connected alleged drug-smuggling boats successful Latin America.
President Donald Trump praised Hegseth’s show successful a societal media post.
Hegseth framed the impeachment effort arsenic an indictment against the nation’s work members and their successes portion undermining American forces “in existent time.”
“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth said. “This is sabotage.”
Hegseth said the impeachment solution “tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, each adversary watching — the United States volition really punish its ain warriors and its ain civilian enactment for successfully executing lawful subject operations.”
An impeachment ballot is looming successful the House
Massie, who mislaid his superior successful Kentucky to a Trump-backed opponent, filed the solution successful the House connected Monday. It sets the signifier for a melodramatic ballot connected whether to region a cardinal Trump medication Cabinet subordinate pursuing sweeping losses for Republicans successful past week's midterm elections, which galore astatine slightest partially blamed connected the Iran struggle and its economic impact.
The solution mostly focuses connected the war successful Iran but besides includes references to Hegseth’s relation successful subject actions successful Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela. Massie said Hegseth’s actions magnitude to “high crimes and misdemeanors” and his enactment astatine the Pentagon “warrants impeachment.”
Hegseth said Massie’s concerns are not impeachable, calling them “policy disagreements, not precocious crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended erstwhile they wrote the impeachment clause.”
What constitutes “high crimes and misdemeanors” is not spelled retired successful the Constitution, leaving it to lawmakers to determine what are impeachable acts. A ballot successful the House could travel by midweek, putting unit connected Republicans — galore of whom blamed their predetermination wipeout connected the fallout from the Iran warfare — but adjacent steps are highly uncertain.
Hegseth besides condemned the effort arsenic “a governmental spectacle, a idiosyncratic manifesto driven by ego and resentment.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted the impeachment effort arsenic a “political gambit for attention.” He predicted that Republicans would decision it “one mode oregon the other.”
This isn't the archetypal impeachment effort successful caller years
Hegseth formed Massie's solution successful historical terms, arguing that nary defence caput has been impeached successful the nation's 250-year past “for carrying retired lawful subject operations.”
But much recently, a Cabinet authoritative successful President Joe Biden's administration, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, was impeached by House Republicans implicit his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. But the Senate dismissed each impeachment charges, shutting down his proceedings earlier arguments adjacent began.
Mayorkas, who did not look to attest earlier the impeachment proceedings, enactment the borderline situation squarely connected Congress for failing to update migration laws during a clip of planetary migration. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had said then, successful April 2024, that House Republicans’ charges failed to conscionable “the precocious modular of precocious crimes and misdemeanors” and could acceptable a unsafe precedent.
Before Mayorkas, a sitting Cabinet caput had ne'er been impeached. It was astir 150 years agone that the House voted to impeach President Ulysses S. Grant’s warfare secretary, William Belknap, implicit a kickback strategy successful authorities contracts. He resigned earlier the vote.
Trump offers enactment for Hegseth
Trump has backed Hegseth successful the aftermath of Massie's impeachment resolution, pointing to the U.S. subject raid to seizure then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro successful January arsenic good arsenic operations against Iran that helium asserts person “obliterated” its navy and aerial force.
“Pete Hegseth gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defence against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, erstwhile Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!” Trump wrote Tuesday connected Truth Social.
Iran, however, has been capable to keep striking U.S. subject bases successful the Middle East and has disrupted shipping successful the Strait of Hormuz during the much than 8-month-old conflict, driving up planetary lipid prices.
Trump told reporters Monday that the Iran warfare “militarily is efficaciously over" and repeated his often-made assertion that Tehran “would emotion to marque a deal.”
Besides nationalist comments, Hegseth besides has been defending his leadership of the U.S. subject successful a societal media blitz. He released a video past week arguing impeachment would beryllium “all astir the authorities of idiosyncratic destruction” and that “won’t enactment with me.”
Scores of Pentagon governmental appointees person posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words, “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.”
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