By Vaughn Cockayne & Mike Glenn (The Washington Times)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday equated the push for his impeachment on Capitol Hill as an attack on U.S. troops who carried out operations in Iran, Venezuela and the Caribbean, as he faces a growing number of calls for his firing.
Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon for the first time in six months, Mr. Hegseth rejected accusations that the U.S. military directly targeted civilians, describing the accusations as “slander.”
“On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime,” he said. “The only people who target civilians are the terrorists that we hunt, and I will dignify this claim no further.”
His defiant comments come as Democrats, and some Republicans, push for his removal.
Outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, on Monday reintroduced a privileged resolution containing eight articles of impeachment against the defense secretary, accusing him of illegally waging war against Iran and abusing his authority at the Pentagon.
Mr. Massie, Kentucky Republican and a frequent critic of President Trump’s foreign policy, said Mr. Hegseth violated several provisions of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 by continuing military operations against Iran without congressional authorization.
Mr. Massie accused Mr. Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors,” saying it requires his removal from office.
“Secretary Hegseth knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders to initiate a war against a foreign nation notwithstanding the absence of congressional authorization,” Mr. Massie said on the House floor.
“Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of the United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States armed forces and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law,” Mr. Massie said.
He also accused Mr. Hegseth of disregarding laws designed to minimize civilian casualties, illegally authorizing deadly military strikes against suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean and violating the law by retaliating against Sen. Mark Kelly, Arizona Democrat, for criticizing military operations.
Other articles of impeachment concern the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and unauthorized military action in Yemen.
Mr. Hegseth said Mr. Massie’s articles of impeachment don’t meet the standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors” that are appropriate to remove someone from office.
“They are not the kinds of offenses the Founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause,” Mr. Hegseth said.
House Republican leaders plan to hold the first vote in the impeachment vote Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Hegseth noted that 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 said. “That’s the standard … and one disgruntled congressman wants to shred it over policy disagreements.”
He said Mr. Massie’s articles of impeachment don’t meet the standard of “high crimes and misdemeanors” that are appropriate to remove someone from office.
“They are not the kinds of offenses the Founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause,” Mr. Hegseth said.
On Monday, Mr. Massie predicted that the Pentagon chief will be out of office by the end of the year. He said the incoming Democratic majority in Congress won’t be as cordial as he is about the impeachment.
“I’m not proposing he go to prison. I’m not proposing that he be exposed to civil liability,” he said. “We’re just saying, ‘You need to be out of a job right now.’”
Mr. Massie said the Democrats will hold hearings about Mr. Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary when they take over in January.
“They’re going to bring in people who’ve served under Hegseth, people who’ve seen some things and know some things that aren’t even public yet,” he said.
Mr. Hegseth said the impeachment articles filed against him put American lives at risk.
“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,” he said. “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.”
The Project on Government Oversight watchdog group called for Congress to impeach Mr. Hegseth, saying he should be held accountable for “trampling on the Constitution and violating the law.
“He has carried out an illegal and unauthorized war with Iran, ignoring Congress’ constitutional power to decide when and why the nation goes to war. He ignored the laws protecting civilians, potentially leading to the deaths of over 150 people, mostly children,” Isabel Munilla, the group’s interim director, said Tuesday. “He retaliated against a sitting senator for exercising his First Amendment rights and telling service members they should refuse unlawful orders.”
Ms. Munilla said Americans have made it clear they want more accountability in Washington.
“For the good of our national security, Secretary Hegseth must be impeached and removed,” she said. “If Secretary Hegseth remains in government, he poses a continuing threat to Americans and to people across the globe.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday that he strongly backs the secretary, as does his MAGA base, which continues to sound off with pro-Hegseth posts on social media.
Mr. Hegseth said his impeachment would put a target on the back of American service members by signaling that Congress will undermine future military operations.
“This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
