Pete Hegseth blasts impeachment 'stunt' by ego-driven Republican Thomas Massie in blistering press conference: 'This is sabotage'

Which US president are YOU? Take Daily Mail's quiz and find out Published: 08:11 EST, 10 November 2026 | Updated: 08:31 EST, 10 November 2026 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth railed against a Republican-led impeachment effort against him during a rare morning Pentagon briefing the day after the articles were introduced. 'What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability,' Hegseth began his remarks. 'It's a political spectacle.''That's what it is: policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanors, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offenses the founders intended when they wrote impeachment clause.'The impeachment resolution was filed on Monday by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a frequent critic of Hegseth and Donald Trump, for 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' as well as the kidnapping of a foreign leader and ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties.The congressman took to the floor of the House of Representatives to read out a 34-page impeachment resolution against Hegseth. The anti-Trump Kentucky Republican also called out Hegseth for severely limiting press access at the Pentagon.Hegseth likened Massie's impeachment effort to sabotaging the US military. 'He puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signaling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time. This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.'The secretary also claimed that the impeachment resolution weakens the Pentagon as US adversaries eye ways to gain a leg up on military. 'Let's be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies - Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching - that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations.' Secretary of War Pete Hegseth blasted the GOP-led impeachment effort against him during a rare morning press briefing at the Pentagon on Monday Republican Congressman Thomas Massie speaks during a news conference to discuss articles of impeachment he introduced against US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Monday The president railed against Massie on Monday, calling him 'a total loser' during an impromptu press briefing before launching another salvo at him while defending Hegseth's performance. 'Defeated Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a total loser, is trying to impeach perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the Country, Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth,' he wrote. 'With recruitment at an all-time high, from an all-time low under Sleepy Joe Biden, and two victories, Venezuela and Iran, Pete Hegseth should be praised, not impeached.' Massie is pushing the resolution for a vote this week, likely on Wednesday, after Congress has resumed session following a midterm elections bloodbath for Republicans.The Kentucky Republican lost his re-election bid earlier this year after Trump put his support and resources behind his GOP primary challenger. The nasty intra-GOP feud took off when Massie pushed legislation to release federal files on pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, angering the president. The last time a Secretary of War was impeached was 1876, when William Belknap became the first and only Pentagon boss to be impeached by Congress. The secretary's wife, Jennifer Hegseth, brother, Phil Hegseth and parents, Penelope and Brian Hegseth, also attended the briefing.