‘It’s a farce, a stunt’: Embattled Hegseth denounces impeachment effort, gets A+++ rating from Trump

Facing pressure after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republican’s drubbing in the midterms, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denounced an impeachment push by the Congress and described it as a ‘farce’ and a ‘stunt’.

Hegseth was responding to reporters when asked about the impeachment proceedings launched by Representative Thomas Massie, who is a Republican. He described Massie as a rogue lawmaker, who is targeting him over “policy disagreements”.

A defiant Hegseth said no US War Secretary has ever been impeached for “carrying out lawful military operations”.

“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he told reporters. “What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it’s not accountability. It’s a political spectacle.”

Hegseth gets Trump’s backing

Hegseth has Trump’s backing, though. In a post on Truth Social earlier in the day, Trump gave Hegseth an A+++ rating and called Massie a “total loser”.

“Pete Hegseth gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!” he said.

This was the second time in 12 hours when Trump questioned Massie’s move for trying to impeach Hegseth, whom he described as the “most popular and successful military official” in the United States.

“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. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” he said in another Truth Social post on Monday. 

‘Would do it again’

Both Trump and Vance, along with many others, including Republicans, have blamed the Iran war for their loss in the November 3 midterm elections. Despite this, they have defended the actions and called it a necessary, with Trump saying he stopped Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

On Tuesday, Hegseth again defended the military operation and said he would do it again if needed.

“I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” he said. “These resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime. Their service was not a crime. These are heroes.”

Hegseth is a staunch defender of the widely unpopular war against Iran, which he has described as a “courageous and historic effort.”

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