U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gestures and speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon on November 10, 2026, in Arlington, Virginia. us
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against him and slammed Republican lawmakers who have aggressively defended his leadership in the Iran war and other military operations.
A day after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced eight articles of impeachment, Hegseth said, “What these disgruntled and defeated members are trying to do is not oversight, and it’s not accountability. This is a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment.”
“This is a farce, it’s a stunt. Everyone knows it,” Hegseth said at his first Pentagon news conference in six months.
The article accuses Mr. Hegseth of waging war against Congress, carrying out extrajudicial killings related to boat strikes in the Caribbean against alleged drug smugglers, and suppressing free speech by targeting Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a veteran.
Massey, a liberal who clashed with President Donald Trump and lost the Republican primary in May, launched his impeachment fight less than a week after the blue-wave midterm elections that shifted the House and Senate majorities to Democrats.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) discusses articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the U.S. Capitol on November 9, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who will become speaker of the House in the next Congress, said Sunday that Democrats are “absolutely in favor” of impeaching Hegseth. He reiterated his support at a press conference on Monday.
The House is scheduled to vote on procedural motions related to the impeachment resolution on Tuesday. If passed, the bill will move forward to debate and a vote. Impeachment resolutions are privileged, and the House must act on them within two legislative days and vote to table them or refer them to a committee.
Hegseth accused Massey of pulling a “stunt” that sent a dangerous signal to America’s enemies.
“Congress puts a target on the backs of America’s warriors by sending a signal that it will undermine their mission in real time,” Hegseth said. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”
Trump went on to write in a post on Truth Social shortly after Hegseth’s reporting session that the Pentagon chief “earned an ‘A’ plus, plus, plus for his defense of former Congressman Thomas Massey, a disgruntled, angry, and defeated total loser!”
Mr. Trump, who was impeached twice during his first term as president, said Monday that he would support Mr. Hegseth even if the House were to impeach him.
Republicans hold a slim 218-214 majority in the House, but it is unclear whether the remaining members of the Republican conference will be able to unite to defeat Massey’s impeachment resolution. Some Republicans, particularly Vice President J.D. Vance, have directly blamed the medium-term losses on the Iran war, which remains in an uneasy stalemate with intermittent fighting.
If Hegseth is impeached, the Senate would be required to hold a trial and vote on whether to remove him from office. A two-thirds majority is required for conviction and removal. No U.S. cabinet member has ever been removed by the Senate, but two have been impeached.
—CNBC’s Garrett Downs contributed reporting.
