President Trump has come out swinging in defense of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, brushing aside talk of impeachment from his opponents. He said all his critics do is "talk about impeaching everybody," and he added that if Republicans wanted to play that game, they could play it just as well. Trump called Hegseth "a great warrior" and said he believes he has been the best at his job in many, many years. The remarks show the president has no plans to back away from his Pentagon chief, even as the pressure builds.

Hegseth faces sharp criticism over the U.S. war in Iran, a run of leadership changes at the Pentagon, and other controversies, including his handling of classified information. In April, Rep. Yassamin Ansari and a group of fellow House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against him, accusing him of abusing his office and violating the law of armed conflict. The Pentagon's press secretary dismissed the effort as "just another charade." The criticism is not only coming from Democrats, since Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has reportedly introduced his own articles, and the resignation of Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has revived calls for action. The articles have little chance of passing a Republican-led Congress, but Democrats are expected to push further if they win back the House in the November midterms.