‘It’s a farce’, US defense secretary Hegseth rejects impeachment push

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday denounced a push to impeach him as a “farce” and defended his record leading the Iran war and other military operations under President Donald Trump.

“It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he said at a Pentagon press conference, branding the impeachment push “slander” and “sabotage.”

Hegseth’s combative performance came as Congress inched toward a rare vote on impeachment over alleged misconduct related to wars against Iran and Yemen’s Houthis, and the controversial killing of alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

The effort throws down a challenge to Trump, already weakened by last week’s m...