WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, calls himself the secretary of war, part of his effort to rebrand a military he said was too weak and "woke" when he took office last year. Now, with an expected House impeachment vote this week, he could soon share something in common with an actual secretary of war.
William Belknap, who held that title in 1876, became the first, and to date only, civilian leader of the US military to be impeached by Congress.
US Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, introduced eight articles of impeachment on Monday, setting off a two-day clock for a potential House vote on charges including waging war against Iran without congressional approval and other abuses of power.
Massie, addressing reporters, cautioned that Republican leadership could try to avoid a straight vote on impeachment by trying to dismiss it with a procedural motion.
"They may try to get out of an actual vote on the substance of this. We should have a vote and a rigorous debate on these eight articles of impeachment," he told a press conference.
Congressional sources say the resolution may have the votes to pass even with President Donald Trump's Republicans still controlling the House until Democrats take over on Jan. 3.
Conviction appears unlikely in the Senate, however, where a two-thirds majority is required and Republicans hold 53 of 100 seats.
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Reuters Monday, strongly defended Hegseth, pointing to the US military's performance in Iran and Venezuela, "Well, he won two wars. I don't know how you can impeach him."
He later told a White House press conference he would stand by Hegseth even if he is impeached, and called Massie a "stone-cold loser."
House Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the effort, saying impeachment "in the middle of hostilities abroad" would be "a terrible thing for our allies and our enemies to see."
Voter anger over the war helped Democrats win control of Congress in last week's midterm elections, intensifying Republican divisions over a conflict that US Vice President JD Vance has publicly questioned and Hegseth has defended as "courageous and historic."
Accused of taking huge kickbacks, Belknap handed President Ulysses Grant his resignation ahead of his scheduled impeachment vote and, according to a Senate history, "burst into tears."
The House impeached him anyway, but the Senate later acquitted him after falling short of the required two-thirds majority.
By contrast, Hegseth is promising to stay and fight.
Hegseth has mounted a social media campaign, saying in a defiant video message last week that he would not back down. He also drew a comparison to Trump, who was impeached twice, saying, "It didn't work against President Trump, and it won't work with me."
Asked if he had enough Republican support to defeat the impeachment push, Hegseth said on Monday, "We're not worried about that." He announced a Tuesday press conference, his first at the Pentagon since May.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also White House national security adviser, called the impeachment push "unfair," telling reporters, "I think Pete's done a good job. I really do."
Trump, speaking with Reuters, extolled Hegseth's performance in the Iran war, which is at an impasse, and with Venezuela, where the US military deposed that country's president, Nicolas Maduro, in a surprise January commando raid on his compound in the Venezuelan capital.
"Well, what about impeaching the people from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and all of that, where we fought forever and nothing happened?" Trump asked.
Some Republican lawmakers have expressed concern that if Hegseth stays, his strained relationship with Congress will undermine the Trump administration's push for a $1.5 trillion defense spending package.
Massie, a Trump critic who is leaving office in January, warned in a statement on Monday that impeachment would be "much gentler" than what's in store for Hegseth once Democrats take control in January.
"They will hold hearings and trials. President Trump should replace Secretary Hegseth now while he can still get a replacement confirmed in the Senate," Massie said.
Democrats have promised to investigate Hegseth over issues including the firing of the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior leaders.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday he was a "hard yes" on a measure to impeach Hegseth.
US Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who is expected to become majority leader, said on Monday the Senate needs to put Hegseth on trial.
"Hegseth waged this war illegally, in open defiance of the Constitution and multiple War Powers Resolutions this Congress passed to end the fighting," he said.
Massie's articles of impeachment accuse Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanors" ranging from waging the Iran war to various alleged abuses of power, including violating the free speech rights of US Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat.
Last year, Hegseth sought to prosecute Kelly after he and five other Democrats in Congress with backgrounds in the military and intelligence urged US troops to refuse illegal orders. Hegseth accused them of sedition, something Trump at the time said in a social media post was "punishable by DEATH!"
