The House referred impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively killing the effort led by Rep. Thomas Massie.
The House has voted 211 to 204 to refer the articles of impeachment filed against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively killing the impeachment effort spearheaded by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
Tuesday's vote short-circuits any potential floor vote on the articles of impeachment, and virtually guarantees the measure will not be taken up before the current session of Congress expires. The vote was on a procedural motion to refer the resolution to committee, effectively killing it. Only one Republican, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, broke with his party to join Democrats who opposed the effort.
Massie reintroduced the articles of impeachment on Monday, accusing Hegseth of high crimes and misdemeanors in connection to the war with Iran and U.S. strikes against Iran and on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Massie's impeachment resolution sought to oust Hegseth over the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional authorization, and the effort to punish Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., for a video telling service members they can refuse illegal orders.
Hegseth defended himself against the impeachment effort during a rare press conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday, criticizing Massie as a "disgruntled and defeated congressman."
"I stand behind every one of these operations," Hegseth said. "I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow."
On Monday, Trump expressed support for Hegseth during a wide-ranging, impromptu press briefing at the White House.
"I'll stand by him," Trump said. "He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won."
President Trump celebrated the vote defeating the effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a post to his social media site in which he called the result an "exoneration" of Hegseth and warned that Democrats "must be stopped" from what he said was weaponization of government.
While the impeachment push may be quelled for now, Hegseth's troubles on Capitol Hill are not over. Democrats have promised vigorous investigations into Hegseth's Pentagon once they assume the majority in January. Whether they will mount another impeachment effort remains unclear, but in an interview with NPR last week, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to be the next Speaker of the House, said simply of Hegseth, "He's got to go."
The vote shields Hegseth from a potential ouster after their party suffered crippling losses in an election that turned on voters' discontent about the Iran war. The action spared Republicans a vote on whether to impeach Mr. Hegseth on eight separate charges, including violating the Constitution to wage war in Iran and elsewhere without congressional authorization, flouting laws to mitigate civilian casualties and abusing his power by retaliating against a senator for public statements.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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