WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blasted efforts to impeach him as a farce on Tuesday and delivered a defiant defense of his record, hours before a House vote that will test whether the effort has enough support to move toward impeachment.
A polarizing figure who has become the face of the unpopular Iran war, Hegseth faces eight articles accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” ranging from the war itself to the US military raid in January to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Some congressional sources say the resolution could pass even with President Donald Trump’s Republicans in control of the US House of Representatives until Democrats take over on January 3.
A US Senate conviction appears unlikely, requiring a two-thirds majority while Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats.
At a Pentagon briefing Hegseth, a former Fox News host, thanked Trump for his support and said he would be happy to be in the company of Trump, who was impeached twice.
“Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they’re trying a third time. This time against a member of his cabinet,” he said.
US Representative Thomas Massie, the outgoing Kentucky Republican who introduced the articles of impeachment, expressed optimism that if lawmakers can overcome Tuesday’s procedural vote, “we will proceed to a real debate and vote on the Articles of Impeachment.”
