U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending his position against impeachment proceedings initiated by Republican Representative Thomas Massie over military actions in Iran and Venezuela. Holding his first Pentagon news conference in six months, Hegseth labeled the effort a stunt and insisted the operations were ordered directly by Donald Trump. The defense secretary's political standing deteriorated after midterm election defeats, which Vice-President JD Vance directly attributed to the conflict with Iran. Hegseth conceded the campaign was not necessarily popular, leaving the president to decide whether to retain him amid shifting internal White House dynamics.
Key points
Pete Hegseth is directly tying his political survival to Donald Trump by emphasizing that…: Pete Hegseth is directly tying his political survival to Donald Trump by emphasizing that contested military strikes were presidential orders.
The financial toll of foreign conflicts has driven substantial voter dissatisfaction and…: The financial toll of foreign conflicts has driven substantial voter dissatisfaction and cost Republicans control of Congress.
The defense secretary's future depends on Donald Trump's willingness to resist pressure f…: The defense secretary's future depends on Donald Trump's willingness to resist pressure from officials advocating a drawdown in Iran.
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There was plenty of defiance and rhetorical venom from Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on Tuesday, as the under-pressure US defence secretary gave his first news conference in six months.
Much of his ire was directed at the Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has brought articles of impeachment against him. Hegseth dismissed him as "one disgruntled and defeated congressman" who was leading a "farce and a stunt".
But this was, in many ways, a news conference with an audience of one - President Donald Trump.
Again and again, Hegseth tied his fate to that of the president.
The military operations in Iran and Venezuela that are now at the centre of impeachment proceedings, he said, were "ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself". If standing with the president put him in the firing line, he added, "I'll take that company every day of the week".
That positioning matters.
Hegseth has frequently echoed the president's rhetoric and public statements and he did it repeatedly on Tuesday. Attacks on the media, denunciations of political enemies and even reflecting the…
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