Hegseth vows to keep fighting from Pentagon, defends Iran war
WASHINGTON –
asserted
Hegseth → vow → war
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a video message on Nov 5, vowing to fight efforts in Congress to impeach him and defending the Iran war as “courageous and historic” after voters punished Republicans over it in the country’s recent midterm elections.
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voters → issue → elections
Hegseth’s remarks, posted on social media, came as taunts from his foes in Congress intensified and President Donald Trump swatted away questions about whether he might fire Hegseth.
uncertain
he → post → Hegseth
Trump has commended his Pentagon chief.
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Trump → commend → chief
The top Democrat in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, asked in a post: “Why is Pete Hegseth still around?”
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Hegseth → ask → post
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has been a polarising figure who has made enemies even within his own Republican Party.
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who → make → Party
Critics in Congress are targeting his conduct of the Iran war, which Vice-President JD Vance has said cost Republicans control of Congress, his firing of top military officers and strained relations with lawmakers as the administration seeks a US$1.5 trillion (S$1.9 trillion) defence spending package.
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administration → target → package
Democrats, who won control of Congress in elections on Nov 3, have promised to investigate Hegseth and his handling of the Pentagon, and congressional aides say that would include the firing of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among other issues.
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that → win → issues
Republican Representative Thomas Massie promised to reintroduce articles of impeachment against Hegseth in November, warning that impeachment would be “much gentler” than what is in store for him once Republicans cede control of Congress in 2027 to Democrats.
“They’ll have hearings and trials,” Massie wrote on social media platform X.
Hegseth defended his stewardship of the Pentagon in a more than four-minute video that boasted about firing senior Pentagon leaders, ending diversity initiatives and banning transgender individuals from the military.
“You see, they attack me – they attack us – because we are effective.
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we → promise → us
It’s not going to work.
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It → go → ?
We will not back down,” Hegseth said to the camera.
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Hegseth → back → camera
Calling the impeachment effort a “sham”, Hegseth said that Trump himself was impeached twice.
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Trump → call → effort
“It’s all about the politics of personal destruction.
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It → ’ → destruction
It didn’t work against President Trump, and it won’t work with me.
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it → work → me
You can rest assured of that,” he said.
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he → rest → that
Trump on Nov 5 praised Hegseth when asked whether he expected any staffing changes, saying his defence secretary had “done a fantastic job” and suggesting that the opposition to him was tied to his firing of generals.
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opposition → praise → generals
“We had so many generals.
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We → have → generals
I never saw anything like it.
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I → see → it
I don’t like a woke general.
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I → like → general
And so, he probably has opposition,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
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Trump → have → Office
Trump also praised Hegseth’s role in US military operations in Venezuela and Iran.
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Trump → praise → Venezuela
“Venezuela has been unbelievable... and in Iran, we are there for seven months and we control everything that we’ve wanted to control,” he said.
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he → control → that
Sources have said Trump could still replace Hegseth as Republicans assess their election losses.
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Republicans → say → losses
On Nov 4, Vice-President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the Iran war was worth it and said it cost Republicans control of Congress, in extraordinary remarks that raised questions about whether Trump might still go ahead with a threatened resumption of major combat operations against Iran.
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Trump → question → Iran
One Trump adviser said Hegseth “could be on the chopping block” because of the Iran war.
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Hegseth → say → war
The Defence Department has said Hegseth is “100% committed” to leading the Pentagon until the end of Trump’s term.
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Hegseth → say → term
Hegseth appealed to “patriotic” lawmakers to pass a funding request that aims to help the Pentagon pay for the Iran war and other spending priorities.
“Regardless of how people feel about the war, which I believe is a courageous and historic effort that will ensure Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to continue, as President Trump did in his first term, to rebuild our military,” Hegseth said.
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Hegseth → appeal → military
Republican US Senator Thom Tillis told CBS news on the night of Nov 3 that Hegseth has “a reckoning” coming and his strained relationship with lawmakers was undermining the Trump administration’s push for a US$1.5 trillion defence spending package in Congress.
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relationship → tell → Congress
Hegseth could also face scrutiny from Democrats over his Ukraine policy and US military strikes on suspected drug trafficking boats in Latin American waters, which some Democrats say could amount to war crimes.
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Democrats → face → crimes
Representative Adam Smith, the Democrat who is expected to lead the House Armed Services Committee in 2027, promised vigorous oversight on everything from the Iran war to what he called the erosion of the “apolitical foundation of the armed forces”.
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he → expect → forces
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