Hegseth to face Pentagon press Tuesday, a day after impeachment filing

The latest:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will take questions at the Pentagon on Tuesday for the first time in six months, a day after a Republican lawmaker moved to impeach him over the Iran war, The Associated Press reported. Hegseth has said the briefing will focus on the impeachment push. He told reporters he is ready to defend the administration’s record against what he called politically motivated critics.

Details:

• The filing: Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, filed the impeachment resolution in the House on Monday, according to AP. Massie said Hegseth’s actions amount to high crimes and misdemeanors and that his leadership at the Pentagon warrants impeachment.
• The charges: The resolution centers on the war against Iran but also cites Hegseth’s role in military operations in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and in Venezuela, AP reported. Massie has not detailed what support he expects from colleagues in either party.
• The timing: A House vote could come by midweek, AP reported, setting up a dramatic test for Republicans after sweeping midterm losses last week that many in the party blamed at least partly on the Iran conflict and its economic fallout. Next steps after a vote remain highly uncertain.
• The silence: Tuesday’s briefing is Hegseth’s first from the Pentagon podium since May, AP reported. Over those six months the US military kept up intermittent operations against Iran and carried out fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America.
• Hegseth’s defense: Speaking to reporters Monday after an address at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, Hegseth said critics have substantial policy disagreements but that their disagreements are with success, adding that if anyone wants to litigate the administration’s military actions, he is happy to do it all day long.
• The media blitz: Hegseth released a video on social media last week arguing that impeachment is about the politics of personal destruction and that it “won’t work with me.” Scores of Pentagon political appointees then posted images of him captioned Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.
• Trump’s backing: Trump has stood by his defense secretary, pointing to the January raid to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and asserting that US operations have obliterated Iran’s navy and air force, according to AP. He told reporters Monday the war is effectively over militarily.
• The counter-evidence: Iran has continued striking US military bases across the Middle East and has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the more than eight-month conflict, driving up global oil prices, AP reported.
• The Pentagon line: Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that despite what he described as threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats, Hegseth is fully committed to leading the department until the end of Trump’s term. The statement named no timeline for any change.

Between the lines:

The impeachment push comes from a Republican, not the opposition, which is why the vote is a problem for Trump’s party rather than a partisan formality. Massie lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, and the midterm losses many Republicans tied to the Iran war give colleagues a political reason to break ranks that did not exist before last week.

What’s next

Watch Tuesday’s Pentagon briefing for how Hegseth answers on Iran and the Latin America boat strikes, then a possible House vote by midweek and how many Republicans join Massie.