Washington, DC [US], November 9 (ANI): US President Donald Trump has pushed back against mounting congressional calls to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, questioning why an official instrumental to the military campaign against Iran should face removal from office.
Defending the administration’s armed intervention, the American leader asserted that United States strikes had successfully dismantled Iranian nuclear infrastructure while blocking Tehran from acquiring atomic capabilities.
“We saved Israel and the Middle East. There would be no Israel even if we had not saved them from Iran,” Trump said. Rejecting the impeachment initiative, he added, “And what are we going to do with one of the guys that was most responsible for the war, we want to impeach him.”
The presidential defence followed statements from House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsing moves to impeach Hegseth, whom critics accused of abusing administrative authority, compromising national security and coordinating the conflict with Iran.
In an interview with ABC News, Jeffries confirmed his backing for an impeachment resolution drafted by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.
“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” Jeffries stated, noting that House Democrats intended to review the measure upon returning to Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
“The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. Pete Hegseth has got to go,” Jeffries remarked.
Furthermore, the Democratic leader indicated that his party would pursue initiatives to conclude the ongoing conflict if Democrats secured control of the congressional majority in January, characterising the military engagement as an expensive venture that burdened ordinary citizens with higher living costs.
In response to the legislative pressure, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment campaign as politically motivated.
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that,” he said.
Representative Massie originally tabled the impeachment resolution against Hegseth in September, though congressional leadership subsequently shelved a scheduled floor vote, postponing consideration until the conclusion of the November midterm elections. (ANI)
Trump defends Hegseth amid impeachment push, calls him "most responsible for the war" in Iran
