Trump Vows to Stand by Hegseth as Impeachment Vote Looms

US President Donald Trump has said he will stand by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth even if the House of Representatives impeaches him, as a Hegseth impeachment resolution filed by a Republican lawmaker heads towards a vote within days.

Trump made the remarks at an impromptu White House briefing on Monday (Nov 9), the same day Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment on the House floor, reading them aloud for about an hour and 20 minutes, ABC News reported.

“He won two wars. He was in charge,” Trump said of Hegseth, according to ABC News. Time magazine reported that Trump also said troops love the defence secretary and that he had done a very good job.

What the Hegseth impeachment articles allege

According to Time, the articles accuse Hegseth of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 over the war with Iran, which Massie described as unlawful from the start, and of a lack of oversight by Congress. They also accuse him of ignoring laws meant to reduce civilian casualties and of the January capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, without legal authority.

Al Jazeera said the grounds also cover strikes on boats said to be carrying drugs. Massie, a seventh-term congressman who lost his Republican primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger, told reporters he expected enough Republicans to break ranks.

Hegseth hits back

Hegseth used his first Pentagon press conference since May on Tuesday (Nov 10) to attack the effort. “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt,” he said, according to Al Jazeera, describing the criticism as policy disagreements.

Time reported that he called the move sabotage rather than patriotism and said the Iran war and the boat strikes were lawful operations ordered by the commander-in-chief and notified to Congress. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Time that Hegseth would not back down.

What happens next in the House

Because impeachment is privileged, the House must take up the resolution within two legislative days of its introduction, ABC News and Time reported. Republican leaders can try to table it or send it to a committee instead of holding a direct vote.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has said he is a firm yes, while Speaker Mike Johnson strongly opposes impeaching a cabinet secretary during hostilities abroad, Time said. Massie has said three Republicans voting with all Democrats would be enough to pass it.

If the House impeaches Hegseth, the case would go to the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is needed to convict, an outcome both ABC News and Time described as unlikely. Republicans control the House until Jan 3.

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