Rare briefing set as lawmakers weigh impeachment: Hegseth to hold Pentagon event amid renewed Iran conflict

Briefing set as vote nears

Hegseth is scheduled to speak at the Pentagon on Tuesday morning. Lawmakers are expected to vote on impeachment articles against him this week, and Hegseth said the briefing would address the effort. On Monday, he dismissed concern about impeachment, saying, “We’re not worried about that.” In a video, he called the articles sham efforts and said he had won two wars.

Massie leads renewed effort

Rep. Massie, a Kentucky Republican, has repeatedly criticized Hegseth. His latest impeachment push followed sweeping Republican losses in the midterms, which members of both parties attributed to the Iran war and soaring energy prices.

Massie said Monday afternoon that no other Republican had promised to back the articles. Whether additional Republicans will support them remains unclear.

Republicans weigh their positions

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, warned that impeaching a Cabinet secretary during overseas hostilities would look very bad. He made the remarks to CBS News. Rep. French Hill of Arkansas has not ruled out impeachment. Speaking on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” over the weekend, Hill said he wanted to hear the debate and assess whether impeachment, another disciplinary step, or action by the president was warranted.

Iran conflict remains uncertain

The war’s status is unclear. President Trump said Monday he plans to maintain the “status quo” and does not believe further escalation will be necessary.