SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is fighting back. On the same day members of Congress began voting on the articles of impeachment against him, he gave his first press conference in six months. Hegseth argues that the impeachment effort is a political stunt.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
PETE HEGSETH: Let's be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our 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.
PFEIFFER: With us now to talk about the latest on this is NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman, sitting across from me in the studio. Hi, Tom.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey there.
PFEIFFER: And NPR's media correspondent David Folkenflik on the line. Hi, David.
DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE: Hey, Sacha.
PFEIFFER: Tom, tell us more about how Hegseth is trying to hold on to his position, the case he's making to the media and to the public.
BOWMAN: Well, first of all, he was his usual combative self. And again, he said all these missions were - military missions were lawful. And he noted that past presidents were never called to task for their own operations that some question whether they violated the War Powers Act. Most of these impeachment articles had to do with the wars in Iran and Yemen. By the way, he called Congressman Thomas Massie a disgruntled, defeated congressman, and talk of impeachment is a farce, a show trial.
PFEIFFER: And Tom, the specific impeachment articles, how is he defending himself against them? For example, that he killed civilians, that he acted outside the authority of position when the U.S. arrested Venezuela's president, when it's been striking, bombing the suspected drug boats.
BOWMAN: Well, again, he says, again, all these were legal missions. And on the alleged drug boats, he said the U.S. has sunk more than 70 of what he called narcoterrorist boats and killed 218 narcoterrorists. So he's saying not civilians. But it's important, Sacha, to note the Coast Guard has estimated that in about one-quarter of the boats in the area they interdict, no drugs were found. So one of the articles of impeachment refers to what it calls, you know, these illegal killings. And in one case, two survivors on a boat were also killed by U.S. service members. Some legal analysts are saying this article may have some political weight, more heft on Capitol Hill because it concerns specific charges.
Another one, Sacha, with the weight - legal weight - concerns Hegseth's effort to investigate Senator Mark Kelly for appearing on a video reminding service members they don't have to obey illegal orders. A federal judge said that violated Kelly's First Amendment rights.
PFEIFFER: David, one of the things you do as our media correspondent is not just study the content of what people say, but let's call it the stagecraft of it, their speech. How did Hegseth's demeanor strike you?
FOLKENFLIK: Well, I'd say he was tense and intense. And what was clear is throughout his remarks he wrapped himself in President Trump and in the troops as though he was their shield and their protector. Here's a soundbite of what I mean.
(SOUNDBITE OF PRESS CONFERENCE)
HEGSETH: Put the secretary on trial today and the men and women who carried out those orders tomorrow. If they want to come for the warriors, they're going to have to come through me.
FOLKENFLIK: But if you really listen to what he had to say, Sacha, that seemed like an inversion of what was happening. He wanted to use them to shield him. And Secretary Hegseth really seemed only to get his full footing as he was asked questions by these completely onside pro-Trump media figures in the room.
PFEIFFER: David, as you know, this is the secretary's first briefing in a long time. What other types of questions was he asked?
FOLKENFLIK: Well, to be fair, look, I thought Lucas Tomlinson of Fox News asked about Vice President Vance's remarks in which he blamed the war against Iran for the midterm results for Republicans. And that, you know, was a question I think a lot of people wanted to hear how the defense secretary would answer. But a lot of the other questions, you've seen tougher pitches in T-ball leagues. You know, how does it make you feel when your own party's politicians aren't supporting you? Boy, it sounds like you're comfortable in the president's support. What do you think about the appointment of Steve Miller as the new chief of staff? Have you rallied allies on Capitol Hill?
He called on either conservative news outlets, including The Washington Times, or outright MAGA press figures. And let's remember, the secretary had essentially insisted that reporters had to formally pledge not to report anything unauthorized in order to continue covering the military from the Pentagon itself. And dozens of news outlets, including those across the political spectrum, walked away.
PFEIFFER: And Tom, that pledge that David just mentioned, NPR was among the media outlets that refused to sign it. What have the effects of that been?
BOWMAN: Well, it's much harder to cover the Pentagon. There are no real briefings, almost no background briefings. We're all still have to contact - well, you still have contacts in the Pentagon, but they're shut out of detailed information as well. And, you know, this lack of transparency really is helping no one. Not the American public, not the military out in the field. I remember Hal Moore, a retired general who served in Vietnam, once saying to me, I always took reporters with me on combat missions because the American people have a right to know what's being done in their name. I think that's lost.
FOLKENFLIK: You know, let's acknowledge at a time when impeachment articles are being filed, at a time of war, you know, at times of crisis, those are moments at which public officials seek to need to face the music, face the questions. And, you know, essentially, you've seen this administration, the defense secretary, the president seek to avoid those questions and seek to prevent and pressure news outlets from asking ones they don't want to face.
PFEIFFER: That's NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Thanks to both of you.
BOWMAN: You're welcome.
FOLKENFLIK: You bet. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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