Hegseth Ties Impeachment Defense To Troops — And Trump

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday that any impeachment of him amounts to an attack on America’s armed forces — and President Donald Trump.

In a rare solo appearance in the Pentagon briefing room, Hegseth slammed the eight articles of impeachment against him drafted by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), arguing that they effectively told U.S. troops that their service is a “crime.”

“Their service was not a crime,” Hegseth said. “These are heroes, and no politician in Washington will tell them otherwise."

House Republicans are expected to hold a procedural vote on the articles on Tuesday, though it’s not clear what the outcome will be.

It was a line of argument he came back to repeatedly during his 30-minute speech — which he sprinkled with ad hominem attacks on Massie for being a “loser” — followed by a handful of questions from friendly right-wing news outlets.

“This is not about me,” he said. Lawmakers “have accused the sailors and the pilots who struck narco-terrorist boats of war crimes for doing their job.”

“They mock the Constitution,” Hegseth added. “They attack the chain of command, and they criminalize the war fighters who execute lawful orders.”

Massie's articles accuse Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” including illegally launching the Iran war and killing hundreds of civilians in boat strikes against alleged drug-smugglers in the Caribbean.

But Hegseth maintained that orders to destroy alleged drug boats in the Caribbean were lawful, along with operations to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the war in Iran.

“If they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me,” Hegseth said, claiming “this is not about me.” None of Massie’s articles of impeachment allege wrongdoing by individual troops.

Hegseth used the podium to launch a full-throated defense of his tenure at the Pentagon, arguing that he was facing “impeachment for success,” despite the still unresolved war in Iran.

When he was asked about Vice President JD Vance’s comments that the Iran conflict drove the sweeping midterm losses for Republicans, Hegseth said he would do it all over again.

“We will not apologize for putting American lives first,” Hegseth said. “We will not apologize for stopping the flow of drugs that kill our citizens. We will not apologize for destroying the capabilities of a regime that chants death to America.”

Trump has signaled support for him since the Republican drubbing on Election Day. Just before Hegseth spoke, Trump posted on social media that “Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!”