US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denounced an attempt to impeach him over his conduct during the Iran war, describing the effort as political sabotage that benefits America’s enemies.
Speaking at a Pentagon news conference, his first since May, Mr Hegseth responded to eight articles of impeachment filed the previous day by US Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican.
Mr Hegseth invoked the two previous impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump, saying both had failed and ultimately strengthened the president’s political position.
“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.
“This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said. “This process hands our adversaries a propaganda victory.”
Defending his record during the Iran war, Mr Hegseth said: “I stand beside every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.”
In a post on X, Mr Massie said the House would hold an initial vote today on a procedural motion aimed at blocking the resolution.
“If we can overcome that effort, we will proceed to a real debate and vote on the Articles of Impeachment,” he said.
RTÉ’s Washington Correspondent Jackie Fox has the latest from Capitol Hill
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Asked about Vice President JD Vance’s suggestion that the war had contributed significantly to Republican losses in this month’s midterm elections, Mr Hegseth said the administration would study the conflict and apply any lessons learned.
He maintained that the operation had been undertaken for a necessary purpose: “It was done for the right reasons, to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon.”
Mr Hegseth also cited US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assessment that the war “may have been necessary”, even if it was not broadly popular.
“It’s not necessarily popular, but it may have been necessary, and that’s certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking,” he said.
Mr Trump renewed his support for Mr Hegseth in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the Pentagon briefing.
“Pete Hegseth gets an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!” he wrote.
House Republicans choose Trump ally Jordan as next party leader
Jim Jordan has been a member of the House since 2007
House Republicans today selected Jim Jordan to lead them in opposition to a Democratic-controlled Congress, according to a person familiar with the matter, placing one of President Donald Trump’s most combative allies at the centre of the party’s effort to protect his agenda during the final two years of his presidency.
A closed-door secret ballot elevated the Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to the minority leadership post. The vote came a week after Democrats swept last Tuesday’s midterm elections, securing substantial majorities in both the House and Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson chose not to seek the leadership position.
Meanwhile, Senate Republicans met privately across the Capitol to consider whether to proceed with internal elections expected to keep US Senator John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, as party leader, or delay the vote and leave room for a challenger to emerge.
The leadership contests in both chambers will offer an early indication of how Republicans plan to operate as the minority party during the final two years of Mr Trump’s presidency.
Democrats will require Republican backing to advance major legislation in the 100-member Senate, where the filibuster means most bills need 60 votes. Their majorities in both chambers also remain well below the two-thirds threshold required to override presidential vetoes.
Following the midterm elections, Mr Thune pledged that Republicans would work alongside Mr Trump to stop what he called “Democrat extremism” and oppose efforts to reverse Republican achievements, including border-security measures and judicial appointments.
Mr Jordan, 62, was first elected in 2006 to represent a deeply conservative rural district in northern Ohio. He was also a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group former Republican Speaker John Boehner once described as “legislative terrorists.”
Before entering politics, Mr Jordan developed the confrontational style that later became his trademark in Congress through a career as a champion high school and university wrestler, followed by a period coaching wrestling at Ohio State University.
That history placed his political future under pressure in 2018, when former students accused him of ignoring widespread sexual abuse of college wrestlers by the team’s doctor while Mr Jordan was an assistant coach.
Mr Jordan rejected the allegations, while a university investigation found no conclusive evidence that he had known about the abuse. Former wrestlers, however, said the doctor’s conduct was widely known, and the report found that students had raised complaints about his voyeurism in the presence of coaching staff.
Mr Jordan has frequently drawn on his wrestling background when describing his reputation as a fighter in Congress.
He is also known for his forceful questioning during committee hearings.
“I look at it like a wrestling match,” Mr Jordan told the New York Times in an April 2023 interview, describing his preparation for hearings. “I’m going to try to get as ready as I can. You can’t just wing it.”
