Hegseth slams Republican congressman's attempt to impeach him as 'farce' and 'political spectacle'

War Secretary Pete Hegseth responds to congressman's attempt to impeach him.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth held a press conference early Tuesday, less than 24 hours after an outgoing Republican congressman filed articles of impeachment against him, to defend his record and criticize the attempt to remove him from his post leading the Pentagon. 

"It's a farce, and it's a stunt -- and everybody knows it," Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon Tuesday, referring to U.S. Representative Thomas Massie's impeachment resolution that was formally filed on Monday. "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," Hegseth said of the Kentucky Republican.

The House could vote on Massie's resolution as early as Tuesday evening, and Democrats are poised to vote in favor of impeachment. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he was a "hard yes" on whether he'd vote to impeach Hegseth. Even if a handful of Republicans cross the aisle and vote with Massie, as he expects, and the House passes the resolution to impeach Hegseth, the resolution would likely die in the Republican-controlled senate. 

At the press conference Tuesday, Hegseth painted the impeachment push as the latest attempt to thwart the Trump agenda using impeachment.

"They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call," Hegseth said, recalling the first impeachment of Trump over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "They impeached him again in his final week in office," Hegseth said. "Both times they failed. Both times he came back stronger. And the American people sent him back to the White House."

President Trump, who was apparently watching the press conference, weighed in after it wrapped up. "Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Watch a highlight from the press conference below.