Hegseth Vows to Continue 'Fight' and Defends Iran War Amid Impeachment Calls

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth released a video message on Thursday in which he vowed to continue the "fight" and stand against attempts in Congress to impeach him, while defending the Iran war as a "brave and historic" effort. This comes after voters punished the Republican Party for the conflict in this week's midterm elections.

Hegseth's remarks, published on social media, came amid increasing criticism from his opponents in Congress, while President Donald Trump ignored questions about whether he would fire Hegseth and expressed appreciation for him.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries questioned in a post: "Why is Pete Hegseth still in office?"

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor, is seen as a divisive figure who has made enemies even within his own Republican Party.

Congressional critics denounce his handling of the Iran war, which Vice President JD Vance said cost Republicans control of Congress, along with Hegseth's dismissal of several senior military officials and strained relations with lawmakers, as the administration seeks a $1.5 trillion defense spending package.

Democrats, who succeeded in taking control of Congress in Tuesday's elections, have vowed to investigate the Pentagon chief and his management of the department.

Aides to congressional members say this will include investigating the firing of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other issues.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie pledged that next week he would reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth, noting that the proceedings would be "nicer" than what awaits once Republicans hand over control of Congress to Democrats next year.

Massie wrote on his X account: "There will be hearings and trials."

Hegseth defended his tenure at the department in a video exceeding four minutes, boasting about firing senior officials, ending diversity initiatives, and banning transgender individuals from joining the military.

Hegseth told the camera: "As you can see, they are attacking me, attacking us. Because we are taking effective steps. But their attempts will not succeed; we will not back down."

Hegseth described the efforts to impeach and remove him as a "farce," pointing out that Trump himself faced two impeachment attempts.

He added: "It is all about character assassination politics. It did not work against President Trump, and it will not work on me. Be assured of that."

Trump praised Hegseth on Thursday when asked if he expected any changes in staff, saying the Defense Secretary is doing a "great job."

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: "We had too many generals. All the generals were four-star."

Trump also praised Hegseth's role in US military operations in Venezuela and Iran. He said: "What happened in Venezuela was amazing... And in Iran, we have been there for 7 months and control everything we wanted to control."

Ward Order

But sources said the possibility of Trump appointing a replacement for Hegseth remains likely, as Republicans continue to assess their losses.

JD Vance publicly questioned the viability of the Iran war on Wednesday, stating it cost Republicans control of Congress, in exceptional remarks that raised questions about whether Trump would continue advancing major combat operations against Iran as he threatens.

One of Trump's advisors said Hegseth "may be about to lose his position" due to the war.

Hegseth appealed to "patriotic" lawmakers to approve funding requests aimed at helping the Pentagon cover costs of the war against Iran and other spending priorities.

Hegseth said: "Regardless of people's views on the war, which I see as a brave and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to move forward, as President Trump did during his first term, to rebuild our army."

Republican Senator Tom Tillis told CBS News on Tuesday night that Hegseth's "day of reckoning" is coming and that his strained relationship with lawmakers undermines the Trump administration's efforts to pass a $1.5 trillion defense spending package in Congress.

Hegseth could also face scrutiny regarding his policy toward Ukraine and US military strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking in Latin American territorial waters, which some Democrats say may constitute war crimes.