Hegseth faces backlash over 'just following orders' defense in impeachment fight

independent.co.uk —

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced widespread online ridicule Tuesday after suggesting he was following President Donald Trump's orders in defending his wartime actions, drawing comparisons to Nazi leaders at the Nuremberg trials. Hegseth held his first press conference in six months after Republican Congressman Thomas Massie filed impeachment articles accusing him of unlawfully waging war in Iran and Yemen, capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and striking drug trafficking boats. Critics, including Trump opponent Rick Wilson, mocked the "just following orders" defense, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed similar language. The House will hold its first procedural vote on the impeachment articles later Tuesday, with Massie indicating some members support certain articles. Trump has vowed to stand by Hegseth, calling Massie a "stone-cold loser" and praising the Pentagon chief's war efforts.


With a significance score of 3.7, this news ranks in the top 6.9% of today's 32845 analyzed articles.

Get summaries of news with significance over 5.5 (usually ~10 stories per week). Read by 10,000+ subscribers: