Hegseth ties impeachment efforts against him to attacks on Trump and troops

War Secretary Pete Hegseth spent his first press conference since the House began considering articles of impeachment tying its efforts to remove him from his position to attacks on the president and the troops he oversees.Hegseth declared that the impeachment effort led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is a “political spectacle,” focused on “policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause.”His appearance in the briefing room on Tuesday marked his first press conference there since May, and unlike the briefings he gave earlier in the Iran war, he was not joined by Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. TOM ROGAN: WOOING TRUMP AND NEEDLING VANCE, HEGSETH EYES 2028“On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime,” Hegseth said. “Their service was not a crime. These are heroes, and no politician in Washington will tell them otherwise while I hold this office.“This is not about me. Politicians in Washington have accused the sailors and the pilots who struck narco-terrorist boats of war crimes for doing their job. Senators in cute videos have suggested the same. This resolution is the next step. Put the secretary on trial today, and the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow, if they want to come for the warriors, they’re going to have to come through me.”Massie’s articles of impeachment featured eight charges, the majority of which focused on the war in Iran, the rendition of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, the lethal strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Western Hemisphere, his feud with Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), and last year’s war in Yemen against the Houthis. The outgoing congressman has indicated a willingness to vote on each charge separately, as some lawmakers have raised questions about the construction of the entire set of eight charges.The secretary, in defending those missions and positions, also argued that “no secretary of war or secretary of defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations, and in our case, successful ones at that.”Hegseth also tied the operations back to Trump, who has come out in the secretary’s defense since the Republicans lost badly in last week’s midterm elections.“As for the articles themselves, Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen, every one was a lawful operation ordered by the commander in chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress, and executed by American warriors who did their jobs,” Hegseth said, also referencing the two impeachment attempts during Trump’s first term.“They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call,” Hegseth added. “They impeached him again in his final week in office. Both times they failed. Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they’re trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again. And if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week.”DEMOCRATS SALIVATE OVER PENTAGON OVERSIGHT WITH NEW MAJORITIESFormer Biden Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told the Washington Examiner that Hegseth is “appealing to an audience of one, and very creatively weaving in similar language [from] when Trump was impeached,” adding, “I think that shows how much Hegseth is going to fight it, and probably the administration as well.”With Trump’s continued support, Hegseth may survive Massie’s impeachment efforts, but he will undoubtedly face additional scrutiny under the incoming Democratic majorities in the House and Senate. Democratic leaders have already discussed more aggressive oversight of the War Department.