Attorney General says Hegseth follows the law as impeachment vote looms
Todd BlancheAttorney General of the United States, at a White House press briefing
At a Rose Garden briefing on the day Massie forced action on his resolution, Attorney General Todd Blanche praised Hegseth and said the Justice Department actively ensures that the law is followed.
“Secretary Hegseth is doing a phenomenal job, and the secretary of war doesn’t just go off and do things. So, he follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that, and we play an active role in making sure the laws are complied with.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Pete Hegseth be impeached?
Members of the House have advanced multiple impeachment proposals involving Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Rep. Shri Thanedar introduced H.Res. 935 in December 2025, Rep. Yassamin Ansari introduced H.Res. 1177 in April 2026, and Rep. Thomas Massie announced in September that he would offer a privileged resolution. The proposals allege distinct conduct involving military operations, oversight, and the handling of sensitive information; the proposals themselves do not establish those allegations. Hegseth disputed the characterization that anyone was “texting war plans,” while Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson called the April effort a charade and, after Massie read his articles on September 15, defended Hegseth’s record without addressing the specific allegations. The dispute is whether the House should impeach Hegseth on the basis of the congressional proposals and available evidence.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
CNN reports Massie reading his resolution aloud on the House floor for multiple hours and carries Attorney General Todd Blanche’s response at a White House Rose Garden briefing. The New York Times Post, CBS News and NBC News reported the same Blanche remarks independently.
Before the quotation
CNN reports that Blanche was defending Hegseth in light of the impeachment push after Massie spent hours reading the resolution on the House floor.
After the quotation
Blanche also disputed describing the Iran conflict as a war. The briefing did not address individual articles of the resolution.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Blanche responds to the impeachment push by praising Hegseth and asserting legal compliance, which argues that there is no violation warranting removal. His claim about the Justice Department’s role is his own assertion, not an established finding.
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- Pete Hegseth
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The Dispute Index. "Attorney General says Hegseth follows the law as impeachment vote looms". First published: 2026-09-16. Last updated: 2026-09-16. https://disputeindex.com/events/662-at-a-rose-garden-briefing-on-the-day