Hegseth calls impeachment ‘a farce and a stunt’ as House vote looms
Pete Hegseth used his first Pentagon briefing in six months to attack Thomas Massie’s impeachment articles: “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.” “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he said. The House was due to take up the resolution on Tuesday evening, with Mike Johnson promising to “dispense with the impeachment gambit” by a motion to table or refer.
“None of these are high crimes or misdemeanors. They’re partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military,” the defence secretary said, adding: “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.” He said every operation had been “ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself”. Mr Trump awarded him “an ‘A’ PLUS, PLUS, PLUS” and called Mr Massie “a TOTAL LOSER”; JD Vance said the question of impeachable crimes was “absurd and the answer is: obviously not”; Mr Rubio said Mr Hegseth had executed “a direct order from the commander-in-chief … quite effectively”. In a 218–214 House Mr Massie needs at least three Republicans; French Hill wants “to hear the debate” and Don Bacon is “wrestling”, while Mr Johnson said: “I expect that we’re going to defeat that one way or the other.” Ted Cruz, by contrast, judged it “extremely likely, if not certain” that the House will eventually impeach and that Mr Hegseth will “step down voluntarily, or Trump will fire him”. A referral to committee would let the articles die on 3 January; no result had been recorded by 19:30 GMT. Watch the tabling vote.