Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back against efforts to impeach him, accusing his opponents of using political attacks to derail his work at the Pentagon.
“We don’t back down. That especially applies now.”
Hegseth defended the administration’s changes to military policy and said the pressure from Capitol Hill would not deter him.
“We tore down their sacred cows, one by one, without apology.”
His remarks come amid renewed efforts to remove him following Republicans’ losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., plans to force a vote on impeaching Hegseth when Congress returns, CNN reported.
Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment in September, including allegations involving the administration’s handling of the Iran war. The effort stalled after the House adjourned ahead of the elections.
Hegseth compared the campaign against him to the two impeachments of President Donald Trump.
“They’re obsessed. A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly, just like they tried against President Trump twice.”
At the War Department:
We Stand.
We Fight.
We Defend the Republic. https://t.co/Kkr0DazmCE— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 5, 2026
Hegseth did not name the congressman in that passage. Separate from Massie’s effort, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., introduced an impeachment measure backed by fellow Democrats.
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Hegseth argued that his opponents were pursuing personal attacks because their own policies had failed.
“You see, their policies don’t work, so their obsession with political theater disguised as power drives them to try to destroy their opponents. 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.”
Trump publicly defended Hegseth on Wednesday, telling reporters he intended to keep him in his Cabinet.
A House vote to impeach Hegseth would not itself remove him. That would require a Senate trial and a vote to convict by two-thirds of senators present.
Hegseth said he remained committed to carrying out the administration’s agenda.
“I’ll assure you, we have only just begun to fight. We are more determined than ever, more resolute than ever to finish what we have started.”
