United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that he would hold a press conference on Tuesday, November 10, amid an expected congressional vote on his impeachment. It will be his first press conference in more than 180 days.
Hegseth defended the Donald Trump administration’s decisions regarding the wars with Iran and Venezuela and said he was ready to answer criticism of the White House’s policies.
“If you challenge what we did in Operations ‘Epic Fury’ and ‘Raf Rider’ or the capture of Nicolás Maduro, you are challenging the actions of the troops and what they achieved,” Hegseth told reporters.According to the Associated Press, Republican Thomas Massie is insisting that the House of Representatives consider a resolution to impeach the secretary. He accuses Hegseth of bypassing Congress and illegally continuing the war with Iran.
Pressure intensified after electoral defeat
The initiative was blocked in September, when House Speaker Mike Johnson adjourned the chamber before the start of the pre-election recess. After the Republicans’ heavy defeat in the midterm elections, however, the political calculus in Washington changed.
According to the Associated Press, a number of Republicans link the election result to the war with Iran, rising fuel prices and general dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies. Democrats are widely expected to support the resolution, while several Republicans have signaled that they may join them.
“I will absolutely vote for the resolution against Hegseth,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, according to the Associated Press. He said the secretary should leave office for abuse of power and undermining national security.
Trump continues to defend the secretary
President Donald Trump said he intended to keep Hegseth at the helm of the Pentagon. “I fully intend to keep him,” Trump said, according to ABC News.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Axios that Hegseth would not yield to pressure from politicians who, in his view, were pursuing partisan goals. Parnell added that the secretary was “100% committed” to leading the department through the end of Trump’s term.
The expected resolution would not by itself remove Hegseth from office. Even if the House of Representatives impeaches him, his final removal would require a Senate conviction by a two-thirds majority. That would be difficult to achieve, including after Democrats take control of the upper chamber in January.
Sources: apnews.com, axios.com, abcnews.com