Hegseth Tells Troops 'Don't Blink' as House Shelves Impeachment Bid

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a direct message to American service members this week as he fought off an impeachment push, telling troops in a post on X: “Don’t blink. Ignore the noise. Never hesitate.” The House then voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to send the impeachment resolution against him to committee, according to the official roll call posted by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hegseth made the same appeal to troops at the close of a rare Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday morning, according to a transcript of the briefing. “This is all politics. You do real things. Stay the course,” Hegseth said, according to the transcript, adding that he would defend the troops “with every fiber of my being every single day.”

To our troops: Don’t blink. Ignore the noise. Never hesitate. pic.twitter.com/HfYv30AXLk

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 10, 2026

Hegseth: “A Farce and a Stunt”

Hegseth opened the briefing by attacking the impeachment effort led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., according to a transcript of the briefing. “What one disgruntled and defeated Congressman is attempting is not oversight and it’s not accountability,” Hegseth said, according to the transcript. “It’s a farce and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it.”

Hegseth argued that “in the 250 years of our American republic, no Secretary of War or Secretary of Defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations,” citing operations under Presidents Reagan, Clinton, Obama and Biden, according to the transcript. He said the proper remedy for a policy disagreement is “legislation,” “debate” and “the next presidential election,” according to the transcript.

Hegseth also warned that the resolution “tells our enemies, Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching, that the United States will actually punish its own warriors,” according to the transcript. “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said, according to the transcript.

The Guardian reported that Hegseth called the effort a “circus” and accused Massie of trying to stage a “show trial.”

What the Articles Alleged

Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment, according to NPR. Breaking Defense reported that three of the articles involved alleged violations of the War Powers Resolution related to military operations against Iran. Other articles concerned alleged violations of laws meant to minimize civilian casualties, alleged retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, operations in Yemen and strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, according to Breaking Defense.

House Sends Resolution to Committee

The House approved a motion to refer the resolution, H. Res. 1655, to committee by a vote of 211 to 204 on Tuesday evening, according to the Clerk’s roll call. Republicans voted 210 to 1 in favor of referral, while Democrats voted 203 to 0 against, according to the roll call. One independent voted in favor, and 18 members did not vote, according to the same record.

Massie was the only Republican to vote against the referral, according to the BBC. Breaking Defense reported that the resolution now goes to the House Judiciary Committee, which can consider it but is not obligated to. NPR reported that the vote “virtually guarantees” the measure will not be taken up before the current session of Congress ends.

Massie called the floor vote a “procedural motion to kill the resolution” in a social media post, according to Breaking Defense.

Ahead of the vote, NPR reported that President Trump said Hegseth still had his support. Hegseth’s post to troops on X had drawn more than 500,000 views as of Wednesday afternoon.

Reporting by Daily Beltway.