Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter in Washington DC

Towards the end of the news conference, Secretary Hegseth was asked whether he still has the support of President Trump - a key question that many in Washington are openly asking.

So far, he does, as the president's latest Truth Social illustrates. In a surprise appearance in the press briefing room at the White House yesterday afternoon, Trump repeatedly backed him.

Like Hegseth today, Trump pointed to what they believe were succesful operations in Venezuela to unseat Maduro and against Iran and an uptick in military recruitment levels as evidence that he has been effective at the Pentagon.

Many lawmakers - including some Republicans - have openly questioned how long this might last.

Hegseth is seen as one of the primary forces that drove President Trump to launch Operation Epic Fury against Iran in February and convinced him that success would come quickly and relatively easily.

While that war was militarily effective in decapitating Iranian leadership and degrading its conventional armed forces, it was ultimately politically disasterous for the Republican Party. It was soundly rebuked by voters, largely as a result of high prices that followed the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Given that result, some clearly view Hegseth as an obvious choice to become a sacrifical lamb, of sorts, from the administration.

President Donald Trump has posted on his social media platform Truth Social, saying his secretary of war gets an "'A' PLUS".

He says: "Pete Hegseth gets an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!"

It echoes a similar statement he made on the platform last night, where he again called Massie a "total loser", who is "trying to Impeach perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the Country".

Image source, Getty Images

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Paris for the meeting of G7 foreign ministers, where he is asked by a journalist to comment on Hegseth.

He's asked if Hegseth's "actions and orders on the Iran war" and in Venezuela and Yemen "have been entirely lawful".

Rubio replies that the President of the United States is the commander in chief.

He says "drug dealers trying to import poison into our country is an imminent threat," referring to the US actions on Venezuela. He goes on to say that Iran has posed a threat to USA since 1979.

Arresting Nicolás Maduro was a “law enforcement operation” opening the way for a “better future” for Venezuela, Rubio says.

"Not only did Pete [Hegseth] execute on the direct order from the commander in chief, who in our constitution is empowered and trusted with the job of keeping America safe, but they did it quite effectively," Rubio says.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter in Washington DC

Secretary Hegseth has repeatedly accused lawmakers - including Thomas Massie and Senator Chuck Schumer - of playing political games with the military and American service members.

"Politics is not really my thing," he said at one point.

His comments, however, do not address the fact that he has himself, repeatedly, been accused of operating the defence department in an intensely political way that is closely aligned with the "Make America Great Again" movement.

Hegseth's critics have, for example, accused him of silencing critics and attempting to remove senior officers and defence officials that he does not view as ideologically aligned with the Trump administration.

Notably, the secretary did not get drawn into a question about Vice-President JD Vance's belief that the war led to the crushing midterms loss for the Republicans.

That is at the moment an intensely sensitive question for the administration and for Hegseth.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just heard from the US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, addressing reporters after a Republican congressman launched an attempt to impeach him. Here's a recap of what he said:

• He described the impeachment attempt as not accountability - but instead being driven by ego and resentment, calling it a "farce"
• Referring to Donald Trump's impeachments in 2019 and 2021, he said "we've seen this show before", adding that they will fail again
• Touching on US military operations, Hegseth said "every one was a lawful operation"
• He defended action in Iran, calling it the "right thing" to do for the "safety and security" of America. And he went on to praise the operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, saying he was "not kidnapped", but brought to justice by "America's best"
• Hegseth also criticised the media saying it can never "admit military success" because they "hate the president" more than they love the US and its troops

Stick with us as we bring you more reaction and analysis.

Image source, Reuters

A reporter asks Hegseth if he's been making calls to lawmakers on Capitol Hill to try and sway them away from voting to impeach him.

He say he has strong partnerships with Republicans in the House of Representatives and that there's a "ton of support" for him.

"This is one disgruntled guy that drew up some very flimsy articles," he says of Thomas Massie.

Hegseth is also asked to look ahead to January, when the opposition Democrats will be running Congress.

He says he briefs lawmakers on both sides of the aisle "all the time" and that will continue to be the case.

The impeachment effort, which he describes as a "circus", "is just one small thing that we deal with", he says.

With that, the news conference ends - we'll continue to bring you the latest.

Hegseth is taking questions now.

He's asked if he agrees with Vice-President JD Vance's comments that the Iran war was a major reason why the Republicans lost in the midterms.

He says he respects JD Vance and will not exchange in "finger pointing".

"Thankfully politics is not really my thing, I do department of war and making sure we're prepared and ready,"

He says that a lot of people will look at the conflict and assess it, and going forward they will "learn all of those lessons" and apply them.

He says he agrees with the president that if they had to do it all over again, they would.

"It was done for the right reasons to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."

Hegseth again calls the resolutions "a farce" that is wasting the time of Congress.

The process would hand adversaries a "propaganda victory", he adds.

He says the government will "continue to do the job the American people elected President Trump to do" - he says this is to protect the country and defeat its enemies.

The troops, Hegseth adds, are "the best of our nation" and he has "their back no matter what".

Addressing the troops, he says: "Don't blink, ignore the noise, never hesitate. This is all politics. You do real things. Stay the course."

Image source, Getty Images

"This is not about me," Hegseth continues.

Put the secretary of defence on trial today, he says, and the men and women who serve will be tomorrow.

"If they want to come for the warriors, they are going to have to come through me," he says.

He defends his operations: "Every one was a lawful operation, ordered by the commander in chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress and executed by American warriors who did their job."

He says their military missions "are not high crimes", they are "job well done".

Hegseth goes on to say that the media can never "admit military success" because they "hate the president" more than they love the US and its troops.

He moves on to cartels next, listing that American troops "choked off" the cartel pipeline of human smuggling, drugs and death. He lists what the US has achieved.

"Thousands of American lives saved with every drug boat sunk, and every shipment prevented"

He says former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro was "not kidnapped", but brought to justice by "America's best".

"Victory in one night, victory in 48 minutes to be precise."

For context: Maduro was forcibly removed from power by US troops on 3 January, and whisked to New York where he faces drugs, weapons and torture charges - to which he's pleaded not guilty.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter in Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

Pete Hegseth has begun speaking - and has immediately gone on the attack.

Hegseth's initial remarks have focused heavily on Thomas Massie, the Kentucky representative spearheading the effort to impeach the secretary in Congress.

In his remarks, Hegseth has touched upon familiar talking points from the administration: that its military operations in Iran and against alleged drug traffickers are legally sound, and in its own eyes it has ended "woke-ism" in the US military and improved its war-fighting abilities.

We heard similar remarks from President Trump at the White House yesterday afternoon. In his eyes, the war in Iran - and the military operation in Venezuela to topple Nicolas Maduro - were resounding successes.

The defence secretary also offered a glimpse at the administration's argument that it required no Congressional approval to conduct these operations, citing historical examples going as far back as the American intervention in Lebanon in 1983.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth now lists recent military operations, calling Operation Epic Fury - the joint war on Iran by the US and Israel - a historic military victory.

He outlines actions against Iran's navy, air force and nuclear bases, adding that Iran's military is now "in ruin".

He says the US didn't start this war - "Iran started it 47 years ago".

Hegseth adds President Trump "did the tough, right thing" for the "safety and security" of America.

"He did not kick the can, he kicked their teeth in."

Hegseth says "we've seen this show before", referring to President Donald Trump being impeached over a "perfect phone call" in 2019 and then again in 2021.

Both times they failed while Trump "came back stronger", says Hegseth, and they will fail again, he adds.

He says: "This resolution... tells our enemies - Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching - that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations.

"This is not patriotism. This is sabotage."

Image source, Getty Images

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth starts by saying "we'll get right to it".

He says what "one disgruntled and defeated congressman" is attempting is not accountability, referring to Congressman Thomas Massie, who launched impeachment efforts against him on Monday.

It is driven by ego and resentment, he says.

"It is a farce and it is a stunt," he says, adding that no secretary of war has ever been impeached for carrying out "lawful military operations".

For the first time in six months, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has just started speaking to the media at the Pentagon.

We'll bring you all the key lines here and you can watch live right here, just press Watch live above.

Donald Trump has said "Iran militarily is effectively over", and suggested there is "positive momentum" behind negotiations to end the Middle East conflict, which Tehran and Washington have been embroiled in since February.

Addressing reporters from the White House press briefing room, Trump this week said renewed US attacks on Iran were "highly unlikely" but that the US was "locked and loaded" should circumstances change.

Earlier this month the US carried out strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials told CBS, the BBC's US partner, describing the action as limited, defensive and in response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing on a US aircraft.

In September, top Iranian and US officials held talks at the UN in New York, at the same time as Trump said he could "annihilate" the Islamic Republic if the conflict went unresolved. He later rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within the week.

For context, the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US bases in the Gulf and Arab Gulf allies of the US - as well as blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has caused wild fluctuations of energy prices.

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from the Pentagon

The 60 or 70 members of the press gathered in the Pentagon briefing room have just been warned by a uniformed officer that we will be thrown out if we fail to behave professionally.

It was made clear that anything they didn’t like would result in us being ejected.

The official said we could ask hard questions but when repeatedly pressed about what the policy was, officials were unable to elaborate.

One reporter said: "I have never seen anyone throwing chairs or anything in here."

The chorus of requests from reporters continued for clarification - none forthcoming so far.

The first three articles of impeachment, which relate to separate sections of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, charge Hegseth with:

• Article I: Waging the war in Iran “despite no declaration of war, statutory authorisation, attack on the United States, or imminent threat"
• Article II: Continuing the war in Iran despite Congress voting for the termination of the conflict
• Article III: Continuing hostilities in Iran after the termination period and withdrawal window expired

The remaining charges are:

• Article IV: Ignoring laws that minimise civilian casualties
• Article V: Extrajudicial killings, including secondary strikes on survivors and failure to rescue shipwrecked persons
• Article VI: Suppressing free speech, in reference to alleged retaliation against Senator Mark Kelly
• Article VII: Kidnapping of a sovereign foreign leader, referring to former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, without constitutional authority
• Article VIII: Initiating attacks on Yemen without congressional authorisation

The calculations are delicate as Hegseth is in a fight for his political lifepublished at 12:41 GMT 10 November

12:41 GMT 10 November

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, reporting from the Pentagon

Pete Hegseth is in a fight for his political life – and he’s likely to be in a combative mood when he stands behind the podium today.

His defence so far has been consistent - that efforts to impeach him are really attacks on military personnel and the operations he orchestrated and also, by extension, on Donald Trump’s foreign policy.

Expect him to frame the charges as partisan politics and to present himself as a loyal presidential foot soldier. His most important audience may be just one person - President Trump.

In this Washington, political survival often depends less on congressional arithmetic than presidential confidence.

Hegseth enjoys Trump's public backing for now, though cabinet members are acutely aware that presidential support is always conditional and can evaporate in an instant.

The political calculation is delicate.

Removing him could look like an admission that the Iran war was a mistake; keeping him risks seeming oblivious to the lessons of the midterms where voters thrashed Republicans for the war and its effects.

Image source, Getty Images

The White House has consistently denied rumours that the defence secretary may be on the outs.

On Monday, in an impromptu news briefing, US President Donald Trump told reporters that he will "stand by" Hegseth.

"He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won. We had great people."

He called Thomas Massie, who introduced the impeachment, "a stone cold loser".

He added that the soldiers "love Pete Hegseth" and argues that since he came into office, "we have waiting lists of people trying to" join the army.

"He's done a very good job."