Although U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth continues to downplay the situation. He is moving ever closer to impeachment following the filing of eight charges against him in the House of Representatives this Monday.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, a member of that legislative body, explained on Monday the reasons behind the accusations leveled against the Pentagon chief.
In a press conference held minutes after formally presenting the charges to the House. Massie stated: “We are not accusing him of being incompetent in his job. In fact, he was very effective at killing students in Iran. He was very effective at carrying out extrajudicial executions.”
The outgoing lawmaker from Kentucky was referring to the start of the unpopular U.S. war against Iran. A conflict in which the very first day of attacks, February 28th, struck a school. Resulting in the deaths of over a hundred children. The bombings in Tehran also killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Also these impeachment charges do not argue that he [Hegseth] is ineffective. The argument here is that he has broken the law and violated the Constitution; that is the issue I am putting before my colleagues,” Massie emphasized.
The representative noted that the charges focus specifically on Hegseth’s actions during the conflict. But also relate to attacks on vessels suspected of being linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Pacific. Actions that have left at least 243 people dead.
Moreover the congressman indicated that no other House Republicans have yet committed to supporting the legislative initiative. Which is expected to be brought to a vote on Wednesday. The measure might die in the Senate; regardless, Massie noted that “sometimes you deploy your weaponry where the best target is, and the best target is Pete Hegseth.”
Meanwhile, in a surprise press conference this Monday afternoon, Trump reiterated that he would stand by Hegseth in the event of impeachment proceedings. He labeled Massie “an absolute loser” (a reference to Massie’s defeat in the primaries earlier this year by Ed Gallrein. A candidate backed by the president who went on to win in the November 3rd midterm elections).
“I don’t want to waste my time watching it. We won two wars and made the world a much safer place. Now we’re supposed to be subjected to impeachment?” Trump remarked, even defending his decision to go to war. A decision that was, in fact, one of the catalysts for the Democratic victory nearly a week ago.
In Massie’s view, the Republican Party “earned” its electoral defeats by failing to put a check on Trump. “Congress is bearing the brunt of the backlash that voters want to direct at the president,” he emphasized.
“The president isn’t on the ballot, so they take it out on Congress. But this time, they took it out on the right people. Because this Congress, this Republican Congress, has just sat here rubber-stamping everything,” he stated in response to questions from reporters.
Last month, during an appearance at an annual Army convention in Washington. The former TV host—now Secretary of Defense—was booed and even accused of war crimes.
His tenure has not been without controversy; for some time now, critics have been gunning for him. Arguing that he lacks the proper qualifications for the role, given that he is not a career military officer. “He violated his oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and failed in his constitutional duty to ensure the faithful execution of the laws, especially regarding the declaration of war. He abused the powers of the Department of Defense,” Massie stated in October.
In the elections held nearly a week ago, voters brought about a “blue tsunami.” The Democrats wrested control of the House of Representatives and the Senate from the Republicans. While also achieving other significant results in state and local elections.
The balance of power in Congress—with some vote counts still being finalized. Stands at 256 to 165 in the House of Representatives and 54 to 44 in the Senate.
With information from Prensa Latina
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