Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday pushed back against Vice President JD Vance's recent criticism of the Iran war, saying he holds Vance in high regard but will not engage in public disputes. In his first Pentagon press briefing in 189 days, Hegseth told reporters he respects Vance "greatly" but is "not going to exchange any finger pointing."
"Thankfully, politics is not really my thing. I do the Department of War and making sure we're prepared and ready. So a lot of people are going to look at the conflict and assess it," Hegseth said.
Vance had earlier suggested that the Iran war contributed to significant Republican losses in the midterm elections. Hegseth, however, praised Vance as "a critical member of the team in every aspect of this," and expressed gratitude for the vice president's input to the Pentagon.
Despite the political fallout, Hegseth echoed President Trump's stance, saying he would "start the Iran war all over again" if given the chance. He insisted the operation was "done for the right reasons to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon." He cited Secretary of State Marco Rubio's framing that the war "may have been necessary" even if unpopular, adding, "That's certainly how I feel. It was a necessary undertaking."
The press conference came as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, accusing him of violating the Constitution and other laws through U.S. military operations in Iran, Yemen, Venezuela, and the Caribbean. Hegseth dismissed the effort as "a farce" and "a stunt," calling Massie "one disgruntled and defeated congressman" pursuing "a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment."
Hegseth compared the impeachment push to past attempts to remove Trump from office, referencing the Ukraine phone call and the January 6 Capitol riot. "We've seen this show before," he said. "They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call. They impeached him again in his final week in office. Both times they failed. Both times he came back stronger and the American people sent him back to the White House." He added, "Now they're trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again and if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I'll take that company every day of the week."
Trump quickly praised Hegseth on Truth Social, writing, "Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!"
House lawmakers are expected to take a key procedural vote later Tuesday that will determine whether the full chamber moves forward on the impeachment articles. Hegseth's defiance comes as he also faces mounting pressure from within his own party over the war's unpopularity. The defense chief has remained steadfast, insisting that no secretary of War or Defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations.
Hegseth's remarks underscore the deepening rift between the administration's national security team and some Republican lawmakers over the human and financial costs of the Iran conflict. As the impeachment effort moves forward, Hegseth's fate may hinge on whether GOP leadership can contain the fallout. With Massie predicting Hegseth's ouster by year's end, the coming votes will test the administration's grip on Congress.
