Washington:
US President Donald Trump has thrown his full support behind embattled Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, declaring that the Pentagon chief had done a "good job" during his time in office by "winning" two wars in Venezuela and Iran. The American commander-in-chief's statement came hours after a Republican Representative launched an effort to impeach Hegseth.
"Yeah, I'll stand by him... He won two wars. He was in charge," Trump said while defending the Pentagon chief at a White House press briefing.
He also lashed out at his Republican colleague Thomas Massie, who introduced the resolution, saying, "Massie is a loser. He shouldn't be taking up the time of Congress."
"The guy's a stone-cold loser," Trump said about Massie. He went on to criticise the Republican Representative as a "sick guy".
Resolution to Impeach Hegseth
Massie moved to force a vote to impeach Defence Secretary Hegseth based largely on the war in Iran. The impeachment resolution also includes references to Hegseth's role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.
A vote in the House could come by mid-week.
Hegseth said he would hold a press conference on Tuesday -- his first in over 180 days -- on the impeachment threat. He said the war was necessary, even if unpopular.
Massie filed the impeachment resolution as soon as the House opened for the first day of sessions after the midterms.
Lawmakers are returning to Washington for just six short weeks -- a lame-duck sprint to finish the Republican agenda before the GOP majorities end with the change of power on January 3, 2027.
Trump Says War in Iran Is Over
Trump earlier told reporters that he believes the war in Iran "militarily is effectively over."
"We're just keeping it the status quo," he said.
Trump added that Iran has been "decapitated" but said he is still looking to make sure there's a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran's nuclear programme is defanged.
The president's comments were his most definitive about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the Democratic sweep of the US midterm elections.
