Trump Defends Hegseth Against Impeachment Push, Says He Was ‘Most Responsible’ for Iran War

US President Donald Trump has defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth against a growing impeachment campaign in Congress, arguing that the official should not face removal for his role in the military operation against Iran.

Trump said US strikes had dismantled Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and prevented Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Defending the intervention, he also claimed that the military campaign had protected Israel and the wider Middle East.

“We saved Israel and the Middle East. There would be no Israel even if we had not saved them from Iran,” Trump said.

Questioning the calls for Hegseth’s removal, he added: “And what are we going to do with one of the guys that was most responsible for the war, we want to impeach him.”

The president’s remarks came after House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries backed an impeachment resolution against Hegseth, drafted by Republican Representative Thomas Massie.

JEFFRIES BACKS IMPEACHMENT RESOLUTION

In an interview with ABC News, Jeffries said he supported the resolution and confirmed that House Democrats would examine the measure when lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

“I’m a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,” he said.

Jeffries accused Hegseth of misusing his authority, compromising national security and playing a central role in the decision to go to war with Iran.

“The so-called secretary of defence has abused his power, undermined our national security and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. Pete Hegseth has got to go,” Jeffries said.

He also indicated that Democrats would pursue efforts to bring the conflict to an end if they secured control of Congress in January. He described the military operation as an expensive undertaking that had increased the financial burden on ordinary Americans.

HEGSETH CALLS MOVE POLITICALLY MOTIVATED

Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort as an attempt by political opponents to damage him and the Trump administration.

“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction. Didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that,” he said.

The impeachment resolution was introduced by Massie in September. Congressional leaders subsequently shelved a scheduled floor vote, delaying consideration until after the November midterm elections.

With Democrats now preparing to take up the issue, the dispute over Hegseth’s role in the Iran war is set to become another point of confrontation between the White House and Congress.

With inputs from ANI