Secretary of Defense Hegseth on impeachment effort: "It's a farce, and it's a stunt"

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave his first news conference from the Pentagon in six months on Tuesday, just a day after Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican lawmaker, launched an effort to impeach him over his handling of the unpopular war against Iran and other actions.  Hegseth called the impeachment a farce and a stunt. 

What they're saying:

What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight. And it's not accountability. It's a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment. Time for one man's final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country, and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it," Hegseth said while speaking at the Pentagon. 

"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it. In the 250 years of our American republic, 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," he continued. "Not once. War Powers resolution or not. Not under Reagan in Lebanon, not under Clinton in Kosovo, not under Obama in Iraq and Syria, not under Biden in Iraq and Syria. That's the standard. The history is clear, and it's very straightforward.  

"And one disgruntled congressman wants to shred it over policy disagreements. 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 the impeachment clause," Hegseth also said. 

"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," Hegseth added. "It tells them that a single rogue legislator, loaded with personal animus for the president, can attempt to veto national security decisions made by the duly-elected commander in chief. It 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."

Trump says Hegseth gets an ''A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS' for news conference

President Trump took to Truth Social praising Hegseth.

Timeline of Hegseth impeachment proceedings

The House will vote Tuesday on the Hegseth Impeachment Resolution, and if it passes by a majority vote, the matter would then go to the Senate for a trial.  A two-thirds vote would be required in the Senate to convict Hegseth and remove him as Secretary of Defense. 

If the resolution fails in the House, it will expire on January 3, 2027, when the current 119th session ends and the 129th session of Congress is sworn in.

RELATED: Hegseth impeachment vote looms in the House

Rep. Thomas Massie makes case for impeaching Hegseth

The backstory:

Massie filed the impeachment resolution in the House on Monday.  The resolution includes eight allegations spanning the way that Hegseth has managed the Iran war, the kidnapping of Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro, the launch of attacks in Yemen, and the alleged suppression of free speech. Massie alleges that Hegseth’s actions meet the bar of "high crimes and misdemeanors."

President Trump has defended Hegseth against Massie's impeachment effort, calling the outgoing Kentucky lawmaker "a total loser" adding that Hegseth "should be praised, not impeached."