Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed a congressional effort to impeach him as a “political spectacle,” as he vowed to fight the potential charges while defending his management of the war with Iran.

Axar.az reports, citing NBC News, that Hegseth called it “a farce” and “a stunt,” adding that everybody knows it, during a news conference at the Pentagon.

He sought to frame the effort in part as aimed at service members, and said it put them in peril during a time of war. “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,” he said.

The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to vote later Tuesday. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., reintroduced articles of impeachment a day earlier over the war with Iran and other military actions that were ordered by President Donald Trump.

A simple majority vote is required in the House for the articles to be approved. If the effort is successful, the resolution will be sent to the Senate to decide whether to convict and remove Hegseth from office. Republicans could also make a motion to kill the resolution, which would require a majority vote.

If Massie succeeds, Hegseth would be the first sitting defense secretary to be impeached in 150 years.