Trump describes the US Secretary of Defense as a great “patriot” after the failure of the effort to remove him

US President Donald Trump praised his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, describing him as a “great American patriot,” after the impeachment proceedings against the latter were dropped in the US House of Representatives.

In a post on the Truth Social platform, Trump described this procedural defeat as “the vindication of a great American patriot.”

Republicans thwarted an effort to impeach Hegseth over the war with Iran, representing a victory for President Trump a few days after his party suffered defeat in the midterm elections.

The House of Representatives voted by 211 votes to 204 votes in favor of referring the impeachment decision to the Judicial Committee, effectively obstructing a vote that was scheduled for Wednesday on filing formal charges against the Minister of Defense.

On Monday, Republican Representative Thomas Massie launched a measure to isolate Hegseth against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East.

This comes after the defeat of the Republican Party in the midterm elections, which President Donald Trump and his vice president, Jay Dee Vance, attributed to the repercussions of the war against Iran.

Earlier Tuesday, Hegseth denounced the attempt to remove him as a “farce,” defending his record of leading several military operations that were accompanied by criticism.

While speaking about the impeachment procedures, Hegseth told reporters: “It is a farce, it is a trick, and everyone knows that,” adding: “What one disgruntled and defeated member of Congress is trying to do is neither oversight nor accountability.” "It's just a political show."

Massie, a fierce critic of Trump, is leaving office after losing the Republican primary to a candidate supported by the president.

Trump expressed his support for Hegseth, and said Tuesday in a post on social media that he "gets an A+++ for his defense." On Tuesday, Hegseth defended military interventions in Yemen, Iran and Venezuela, as well as strikes targeting boats suspected of belonging to drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.

“I support every one of these operations,” he said. I was proud to implement it,” he said, comparing the attempt to isolate him to an attack on American forces.

The US Secretary of Defense added: “These provisions (for the isolation procedure) tell every one of them (American soldiers) that their service was a crime. “Their service was not a crime, they are heroes.”

In turn, Jay DeVance expressed his support for Hegseth, saying that he “clearly did not” commit any impeachable offenses. Many of the articles of impeachment relate to the war on Iran, as Hegseth is accused of violating the War Powers Act, which requires consultation with Congress regarding US military interventions. Hegseth is a strong advocate of the war on Iran, which is unpopular in the United States, which he described as a "courageous and historic" act. Jim Jordan, an ally of President Donald Trump and known for his hard-line positions, was elected Republican leader in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, defeating his conservative rival Steve Scalise, at a time when the party is still suffering the repercussions of the harsh defeat in the midterm elections. Jordan, Chairman of the Judicial Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives and a politician known for his offensive style, defeated his rival by a majority of 106 votes to 73 votes in a secret ballot, according to what American media reported, which means that he will lead the Republican opposition against the Democratic majority during the next two years. The Ohio congressman will succeed House Speaker Mike Johnson, who stepped down as Republican leader after his party lost control of both chambers of Congress in last week's elections. In the US Senate, Republicans re-elected John Thune as their leader, despite some conservative members demanding accountability for the recent loss. Jordan presented himself as a “fighter” that Republicans need to confront Democrats during the last two years of Trump’s term. His election as Republican leader came after conservative lawmakers temporarily blocked the proceedings, demanding a clearer strategy to confront the incoming Democratic majority. “I appreciate that I had the opportunity to have an open, honest and transparent dialogue with my colleagues today,” Thune said in a statement, adding that he was honored by their support. Thune, who will become Senate Minority Leader in January, pledged to work with Trump and confront Democrats' efforts to implement their "far-left liberal agenda."