House vote halts impeachment push against Hegseth as Democrats prepare to take control
Lawmakers referred impeachment articles against the US defence secretary to a committee, effectively stopping the effort for now ahead of a change in congressional control in January.
By Evelyn Adeyemi ·
The US House of Representatives has effectively halted an attempt to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over allegations that he conducted war against Iran without congressional approval. Lawmakers voted on Tuesday to send the resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, leaving little time for further action before the current Congress ends.
The referral passed by 211 votes to 204. Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie, who introduced the impeachment effort, was the only Republican to oppose sending it to the committee. More than a dozen lawmakers were absent from the vote, including 11 Democrats. Removing Hegseth was considered unlikely because it could have required other Republicans to break with President Donald Trump. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had predicted the effort would fail.
Massie formally presented eight impeachment articles on Monday. They accused Hegseth of violating the law by pursuing the Iran war for more than 90 days without authorisation from lawmakers. The articles also alleged that he oversaw extrajudicial killings during US operations targeting boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Speaking at his first Pentagon news briefing in six months on Tuesday, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment attempt as a political stunt driven by an opponent of the administration. He described it as a "farce" and argued that the resolution threatened national security by signalling to adversaries that American military personnel and civilian leaders could face punishment for carrying out lawful operations. "This is not patriotism. This is sabotage," he said.
Hegseth maintained that Massie's objections reflected policy disagreements rather than offences that justified impeachment. He also highlighted increased military recruitment, echoing remarks Trump made during an unexpected appearance in the White House briefing room on Monday. Trump welcomed the House vote on Truth Social, declaring that the impeachment effort "has miserably FAILED" and portraying the outcome as an exoneration of his defence secretary.
Massie had acknowledged that his initiative might not succeed immediately. He argued that it could nevertheless encourage Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats began an impeachment process of their own, while giving the Republican-controlled Senate time to confirm a successor. Democrats are set to take control of both congressional chambers in January following their midterm election victory. Impeachment resolutions can carry over into a new congressional term, allowing Democrats to revisit the matter next year.
Massie, who lost his re-election contest earlier this year to a Trump-backed challenger, has criticised the president and opposed the Iran war since it began in February. He previously angered Trump by demanding the release of administration files concerning deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Questions about Hegseth's future also extend to other Republicans: Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on Tuesday that he expected the defence secretary to resign or be dismissed by Trump.
