US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said that the resolution to impeach him was politically motivated and displayed to the US's enemies, including Iran, that the US will punish its "warriors" for lawful military actions on Tuesday.
This comes the day after Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth, which lawmakers are expected to vote on later this week.
The articles accuse Hegseth of violating congressional war powers, conducting military operations in Iran for more than 90 days without proper authorization, disregarding laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, conducting unlawful military operations in Yemen and Venezuela, and retaliating against political critics.
Speaking on Tuesday, Hegseth compared the impeachment efforts to previous failed attempts to impeach President Donald Trump.
"Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House. Now they're trying a third time. This time against a member of his cabinet," Hegseth said.
"They will fail again, and if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I'll take that company every day of the week," he added.
Impeachment articles sends dangerous message to enemies, Hegseth says
Hegseth condemned Massie's decision, saying that the impeachment efforts tell US "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."
Hegseth added that the message that Congress may not support US troops puts targets on their backs.
The impeachment effort also targets all US service members, Hegseth said.
"On the eve of Veterans Day, these resolutions tell every one of them that their service was a crime," Hegseth said, adding that he stood by all their operations.
"Make no mistake, this is not about me. Politicians in Washington have accused the sailors and the pilots who have struck narcoterrorists with war crimes for doing their jobs," Hegseth said.
Trump supports Hegseth, gives him 'A plus plus plus' for comments
Trump posted in support of Hegseth following his briefing, writing that he gets "an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" in a post to Truth Social.
When asked whether he felt confident in the president's backing, Hegseth said he'd "let the president speak for himself, and I'm grateful for his support."
"It's the honor of a lifetime to be his Secretary of War. Any day he'll have me, I'll be right here at this podium," he said.
Massie previously attempted impeachment in September
Massie first filed articles of impeachment in September. However, House Republican leadership delayed the floor vote on the measure, and members were sent home early.
While House Speaker Mike Johnson denied that he sent the lower chamber home early to avoid the impeachment vote, it still would have been challenging political optics before the midterms.
Following the Republicans' sweeping losses in the midterm elections and Massie's own loss to Trump-endorsed Ed Gallrein, the articles have been reintroduced.
Idan Kweller and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.