At his first Pentagon briefing since May, Hegseth compared the campaign to the two impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump during his first term. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has mounted a forceful defence against a fresh impeachment effort targeting him, dismissing the resolutions as a “farce” and accusing political opponents of attempting to undermine the Trump administration. Hegseth said the proceedings mocked the US Constitution and criminalised military personnel carrying out what he described as lawful orders. “We will not apologise. These [impeachment] resolutions are a farce. They mock the Constitution. They criminalise the warfighters who execute lawful orders,” Hegseth said during his first Pentagon briefing since May. The defence secretary also compared the impeachment campaign against him to the two impeachment proceedings faced by President Donald Trump during his first term. He accused opponents of repeating a political strategy, this time directing it at a member of the president's Cabinet. “Now they're trying a third time, this time against a member of his cabinet,” Hegseth said. “If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I'll take that company every day of the week.” His remarks come as Republican Representative Thomas Massie has renewed efforts in Congress to impeach the Pentagon chief, with a fresh resolution introduced on Monday. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump publicly backed Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, awarding him an emphatic “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS” for his response to former Congressman Thomas Massie. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Massie as a “disgruntled, angry, defeated” former lawmaker and branded him a “TOTAL LOSER”. The latest resolution is Massie's second attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings against Hegseth. His earlier effort, filed before the US midterm elections, was dismissed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Among the accusations is that Hegseth waged an unauthorised war against Iran and violated the War Powers Resolution. The resolution also raises allegations concerning US military operations, including boat strikes in the Caribbean that Massie characterises as potential war crimes. In the new resolution, Massie alleges that Hegseth committed at least eight impeachable acts since joining the Trump administration as secretary of war. Other allegations relate to the handling of military promotions, with Hegseth accused of blocking the advancement of 50 officers selected for general or admiral rank. The resolution further accuses him of disregarding laws intended to minimise civilian casualties, including in connection with a strike on an Iranian school. It also alleges unlawful involvement in the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. These are allegations contained in Massie's impeachment resolution and do not, by themselves, establish that Hegseth committed impeachable offences. Hegseth's response has centred on presenting the impeachment effort as part of a wider political campaign against Trump and his administration. By invoking the president's two previous impeachments, he sought to portray the latest move as another attempt by political opponents to challenge the administration through Congress. The fresh resolution places Hegseth's handling of the Iran war and other military decisions under congressional scrutiny. However, the material provided does not establish whether the resolution has secured the support required to advance through the House. For now, Hegseth has made clear that he intends to fight the accusations rather than apologise for the administration's military actions. The next test will be whether Massie's latest effort gains enough congressional backing to move beyond the resolution stage. Yuvraj Tyagi is a Senior Copy Editor, specializing in security, national, international and defense affairs. With extensive experience covering the Ka... View More