- President Donald Trump has called on congressional Republicans to support defense secretary Pete Hegseth after rebel GOP Representative Thomas Massie filed an impeachment resolution against him over the Iran conflict.
- Massie accused Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanours for carrying out military operations without a formal declaration of war or statutory authorisation, predicting Hegseth will be out of office by the end of the year.
- The impeachment resolution sets a two-day deadline for a vote in the House of Representatives, with Democratic leadership signalling strong support for the effort to impeach Hegseth.
- Hegseth defended his military record during a speech at the Naval War College, dismissing the impeachment effort as politically motivated and announcing his first press briefing in 180 days.
- Although Trump publicly condemned Massie and praised Hegseth, White House insiders reportedly suggest there is limited appetite within the administration to spend political capital on a protracted defence of the secretary.
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