In a video posted to X, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth denounced the renewed efforts in Congress to impeach him, with lawmakers looking to begin as early as next week. “A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice,” said Hegseth.
The ‘disgruntled’ congressman in question is Representative Thomas Massie, R-Ky, who previously filed 8 impeachment charges against Hegseth in September. In a Tweet posted before Hegseth’s video, Representative Massie wrote, “There is one contingency in which I won’t reintroduce the articles of impeachment: Hegseth resigns.”
As reported by Al Jazeera, Massie has been openly critical of the Republican Party’s leadership under President Trump in recent years. Following the Democrats’ victory Tuesday night in the House and Senate, Massie wrote on X, “Tonight’s outcome isn’t about placing faith in Democrats or socialist principles; it’s about holding Republicans accountable for betraying their promises.”
Hegseth still has President Trump’s support
When asked about Hegseth’s performance, amid possible impeachment charges, President Trump told reporters that Hegseth was “doing a great job.” In the days after the midterm elections, President Trump acknowledged the war’s influence on voters to multiple outlets, as reported by Reuters. “I think a part of it was Iran.”
Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance admitted that the Iran war cost the Republicans the midterms in a lengthy post on X. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” the Vice President wrote.
Among other politicians who have been openly critical of Hegseth’s management of the Iran war is House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY. Speaking with GPB, Jeffries called Hegseth “the most unqualified Secretary of Defense in American history. He should have never been confirmed by Senate Republicans,” Adding, “I don’t want to get ahead of the caucus, but I’ve been very strong and clear in my opinions as it relates to Pete Hegseth. He’s got to go.”
In his video rebuttal, Hegseth defended the Trump Administration’s efforts in the Iran war. “Regardless of how people feel about the war, which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon, we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military,” said Hegseth.
The Secretary of Defense went on to address the possible impeachment claims, adding, “It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Published: Nov 6, 2026 02:15 pm