Defending himself against Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) impeachment effort on Tuesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth cast himself as a devoted servant of President Donald Trump. In a press conference at the Pentagon, his first since May, Hegseth also underlined his interest in running for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination.
Massie’s impeachment drive is plainly a political effort. Long a Trump opponent, Massie lost his primary battle earlier this year and will leave Congress on Jan. 3. He wants to take a Trump administration scalp with him. But it is highly unlikely that his impeachment effort will succeed. While the House of Representatives may vote to impeach, conviction would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. That is unlikely even under the incoming Democratic Senate. What Massie can do, however, is put pressure on Trump to fire Hegseth.
