Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday defended Secretary of War Pete Hegseth amid a Republican-led impeachment effort against him, saying Hegseth had executed direct orders from President Donald Trump and that US military operations in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela had been carried out effectively.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Paris, Rubio defended the administration's military operations, arguing that they were necessary to address threats to US national security.
He said Hegseth had acted on the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, who, under the US Constitution, is responsible for keeping Americans safe. Rubio cited the threat posed by drug dealers, Iran and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to defend the operations.
Referring to Maduro's capture, Rubio described it as a law enforcement operation, saying the Venezuelan leader was a fugitive from American justice who had been captured and brought to justice. He added that the operation had also opened the way for Venezuela to have a better future.
Rubio's remarks came as Hegseth faced an impeachment resolution introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
The resolution contains eight articles accusing the Pentagon chief of violating the US Constitution and the War Powers Act, primarily through military operations against Iran without congressional authorisation. It also questions US operations in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the capture of Maduro.
Hegseth, at his first Pentagon press briefing in six months, rejected the impeachment effort as a political attack, maintaining that the operations were lawful, ordered by Trump, notified to Congress and carried out by US military personnel. He described the resolution as a political spectacle and a farce, adding that he was proud of the operations and would carry them out again.
Trump also publicly backed Hegseth, giving him an "A" PLUS PLUS PLUS for his defence and attacking Massie in a Truth Social post.
Meanwhile, the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris highlighted differences between the United States and its allies over the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran, the International Criminal Court and artificial intelligence.
Rubio reiterated Washington's opposition to the International Criminal Court and said the US would continue trying to mediate an agreement between Russia and Ukraine. He also opposed international efforts to regulate artificial intelligence, arguing that such measures could stifle innovation.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, meanwhile, pointed to uncertainty over Washington's future approach and the potential impact of US midterm elections on its policies.
(With agency inputs from ANI and PTI)