Pete Hegseth responded to the impeachment threat, calling the articles 'fictitious'

Statement by the Pentagon chief

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth expressed confidence that members of Congress will not be able to impeach him. On the social network X, he called the articles of impeachment brought against him fictitious and said they were introduced by an 'aggrieved and defeated' congressman along with his Democratic allies — just as, in his words, was already done twice against US President Donald Trump. Hegseth noted that in those cases the attempts failed against the head of the White House, and therefore they will fail against him as well, reports Gazeta.Ru.

Context and possible vote

Earlier, Trump said that Hegseth would remain head of the Pentagon, despite complaints coming in about his work. According to CNN, which Gazeta.Ru cites, Hegseth could become a 'scapegoat' because of the Republican Party's defeat in the midterm congressional elections, despite the president's support. The House of Representatives may vote to impeach the Pentagon chief as early as next week. In the Republicans' view, it was Hegseth who convinced Trump to start the war in Iran without thinking through an exit strategy in advance and without developing a plan to overcome the inevitable political consequences. It was also previously reported that Trump's 'Golden Dome' project could be scrapped after the Democrats' victory.

What is known and what remains unclear

So far, Hegseth's statement and CNN's reports describe only a possible scenario: the House of Representatives vote is a plan, not a decision that has taken place. It is unknown whether the impeachment will gather the necessary votes and how the White House will react. The articles of impeachment themselves are not quoted in the available publications, and the Republicans' claim about Hegseth's role in the start of the war in Iran remains their opinion rather than a confirmed fact.