US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces impeachment push, calls it 'political staging'

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces an impeachment procedure launched Monday by outgoing Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, which Hegseth denounced as a "political staging" during a rare press conference. Hegseth has been marginalized since the Republican midterm defeat on November 3, with Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance blaming the Tehran offensive for their electoral loss. Massie, a frequent Trump critic, filed the impeachment resolution, prompting Hegseth to call it "a farce and a media stunt" driven by "ego and resentment." The House could vote on the resolution as early as Wednesday, but Senate conviction requires a two-thirds majority, which appears difficult even after Democrats take control of Congress in January. Trump defended Hegseth on Truth Social, calling Massie a "bitter, defeated, and angry former congressman."