US Vice-President JD Vance has strongly defended Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth as the House of Representatives prepares for a key vote on efforts to impeach him.
According to The Guardian, Vance criticised lawmakers supporting the move, arguing that impeachment was being used instead of meaningful legislation.
“Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes? The question is absurd and the answer is: obviously not,” Vance wrote on social media.
“Like so much of Congress, impeachment has become a ridiculous show that stands in for actual policymaking.”
His remarks come as Republican Representative Thomas Massie pushes to impeach Hegseth over controversial US military operations, including the ongoing Iran war.
Vance argued that political disagreements over Pentagon decisions should be addressed through legislation rather than impeachment proceedings.
“Legislation is hard. Impeachments are easy (and ultimately, inconsequential),” he wrote.
The vice-president also defended Hegseth’s decisions to reposition American military forces away from Europe and Ukraine and restructure senior military leadership.
“This isn’t about Iran, this is about the fact that Pete took on the bureaucracy at the Pentagon,” Vance added.
Hegseth has rejected the allegations against him, maintaining that the military operations were lawful.
The House vote could determine whether the impeachment effort proceeds.
