Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the impending impeachment vote against him early Tuesday, saying it was a “political spectacle” and a “personal manifesto.”
With lawmakers returning to Washington after the 2026 midterm election, Hegseth could face an impeachment vote in the House as early as this week.
The effort is being led by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary election earlier this year after publicly disagreeing with President Donald Trump. Massie called up a resolution on Monday that accused Hegseth of violating the Constitution and federal law, and abusing his authority as leader of the Defense Department.
In a press conference from the Pentagon early Tuesday, which was Hegseth’s first in six months, he pushed back against Massie’s resolution.
Hegseth speaks out
The Defense secretary took to the podium and said he’d “get right to it.”
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability,” Hegseth said. “It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment.”
Hegseth argued that the move from Massie is an attempt to “damage” Trump, the country and the “warriors who defend it.”
“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he said.
Hegseth noted that in the 250 years since the country’s founding, no other Defense secretary has been impeached for carrying out “lawful military operations.”
“The history is clear and it’s very straightforward,” he continued. “And one disgruntled congressman wants to shred it over policy disagreements.”
Trump has defended Hegseth, posting online Tuesday that Massie is a “total loser” that is trying to impeach the “most popular and successful military official in the country.”
“Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached,” Trump wrote. “Congress, stand up for Pete!!!”
What Massie’s articles say
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, with three focused on the war with Iran.
The articles accuse Hegseth of the war happening without congressional approval and continuing it after Congress passed a resolution directing the president to remove U.S. forces from the Iran conflict. As a resolution it was not legally binding.
It also accuses Hegseth of violating the War Powers Act, which requires the Defense Department to withdraw U.S. forces from unauthorized conflicts after 60 days.
The articles also accuse the secretary of unlawful military strikes against people suspected of being drug traffickers, unlawfully capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, abuse of power over a disagreement with Sen. Mark Kelly, and more.
Impeachment process
Democrats are strongly on board with Massie’s effort, with many speaking out about impeaching Hegseth after the midterm election. A few Republicans in Congress, including Massie and North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, have publicly signaled they’re unhappy with Hegseth’s leadership.
In the House a simple majority is required to approve any article of impeachment. If they are approved by the House, the impeachment effort is then sent to the Senate for a trial to determine if Hegseth should be convicted and removed from office.
Conviction in the Senate requires a two-thirds affirmative vote.
The effort may fail given Republicans still hold majorities in both chambers of Congress. If it does, Democrats will likely try to impeach Hegseth again come January, when they have majorities in both the House and the Senate.
House GOP leadership said that there will be a procedural vote on the impeachment on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. EST, meaning lawmakers aren’t yet voting on the individual articles of impeachment.
They will be voting to either table the resolution, meaning rejecting Massie’s articles in a single procedural vote, or voting to send the articles to committee, likely the House Judiciary Committee, for review, which delays a direct floor vote.