Donald Trump will support Pete Hegseth if he is subjected to impeachment proceedings

President Donald Trump said Monday that he would support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if he were subjected to impeachment proceedings, after Republican Representative Thomas Massie filed articles of impeachment in the U.S. Congress.

“Yes, I will stand by him,” Trump told CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins during an impromptu press conference at the White House. The president attacked Massie, the Republican from Kentucky, whom he described as “a ruthless loser” and “a man with a lot of hatred in his heart.”

The filing of the documents requires the House of Representatives to hold a vote by Wednesday. Massie previously lost a primary election to a candidate endorsed by Trump, a fact cited by the president in his criticism of the congressman.

Hegseth rejected the effort and said he supports the administration’s decision to launch the war with Iran, stating that he would do the same again. Trump praised his defense secretary and claimed that he “won two wars.”