Trump Says He Will ‘stand By’ Hegseth Amid Impeachment Threats

President Donald Trump is standing by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as momentum builds toward an impeachment vote.

Hours after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth, the president railed against the Republican representative in the White House press briefing room Monday, calling him a “stone cold loser.”

“Massie is a loser,” Trump said. “He shouldn’t be taking up the time of Congress or the Senate or anything that he’s doing.” Massie, who lost his midterm primary to a challenger backed by Trump, is one of several Republicans who have openly expressed frustration with the defense secretary.

Trump said he would “stand by” his defense secretary if Hegseth was impeached. The impeachment articles accuse Hegseth of illegally launching the Iran war and killing civilians in boat strikes against alleged drug-smugglers in the Caribbean.

Trump, however, painted Hegseth as the victor of two wars: the war against Iran, which is still ongoing, and the U.S. military operation that resulted in the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduroin January.

“Really, what has Hegseth done?” Trump said. “He won the war. He was in charge. He won the war in Venezuela, as I said, 48 minutes. It was flawless — nobody killed. And he certainly, I think, won the war in Iran.”

At the same news conference, Trump announced that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz would continue, and that the U.S. was “locked and loaded, ready to go” against Iran if needed.

Beginning in January, Democrats will control both chambers of Congress, and would be able to take up the impeachment matter if articles are still pending.

Hegseth has rejected the accusations, and last week called the impeachment effort a sham by “a disgruntled defeated congressman along with all his Democrat allies.”