WASHINGTON – Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will hold a rare press conference on Nov. 10 as he faces an impeachment vote in Congress, saying he looks forward to defending the Iran war and the U.S. military operation against Venezuela.
“If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider or nabbing Nicolás Maduro, you’re taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished, which is historic,” Hegseth said on Nov. 9, while speaking with reporters in Rhode Island.
The press conference, Hegseth’s first in more than six months, comes amid the Republican-led impeachment effort and mounting questions about his political future. Some GOP lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to fire Hegseth after the Republican Party’s midterm
shellacking over the Iran war and the ensuing surge in gas prices.
“There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success,” Hegseth said. “If we want to litigate that, the success of those things, I am happy to do it all day long.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, will force a vote this week on impeaching Hegseth, one of the most controversial figures in the Trump administration and one of the biggest supporters of the unpopular war against Iran.
Massie accused Hegseth of abusing the power of his office by conducting the Iran war without congressional approval, launching lethal military strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea and allegedly ignoring congressional laws to minimize civilian casualties during military conflict.
Though some lawmakers believe Massie’s impeachment resolution will receive enough support from Republicans to pass, Hegseth is unlikely to be removed from office. A trial would subsequently take place in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority is required to oust him.
Hegseth told reporters on Nov. 9 that he is not concerned about the House passing the impeachment resolution.
“We’re not worried about that,” he said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hegseth to hold press briefing amid questions about Iran, impeachment
