The US House of Representatives has shelved an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the move gives him a reprieve for now. Lawmakers voted 211-204 on November 10 to send the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee. As a result, the House will almost certainly take no substantive vote before the current Congress ends on January 3.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, forced the issue. He introduced eight articles of impeachment on Monday that accuse Hegseth of “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The articles cite the war with Iran and U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, and three of them allege violations of the 1973 War Powers Resolution. Massie argues that Congress never approved the operations.
Republican leaders answered with a procedural motion rather than a debate on the charges. According to the House clerk, 210 Republicans and independent Kevin Kiley of California voted to refer the resolution to committee. Massie, meanwhile, was the only Republican to oppose the motion, and he joined 203 Democrats. Eighteen lawmakers did not vote, including 11 Democrats and seven Republicans. Consequently, the motion passed by seven votes.
The referral does not clear Hegseth of anything. The House took no vote on the substance of the charges, and the Judiciary Committee does not have to hold hearings or bring the articles back to the floor. Moreover, the committee is led by Rep. Jim Jordan, whom House Republicans just elected as their next leader. Without action, the resolution will die when the session expires.
Hegseth fought back before the vote. At a rare Pentagon press conference, he called Massie a “disgruntled and defeated congressman.” Massie lost his primary earlier this year to a challenger backed by President Donald Trump. Hegseth also framed the articles as an attack on service members rather than on him personally.
Trump celebrated the outcome on social media. He wrote that the Democrats’ attempt had “miserably FAILED.” However, Massie, a Republican, led the effort, and the vote was procedural rather than a verdict on impeachment itself. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, for his part, called the referral a total victory for the secretary and the department.
Democrats, on the other hand, signaled that the fight will continue. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries previously called himself a “hard yes” on impeachment, and he said Democrats would “run Pete Hegseth out of town.” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer also endorsed the effort. In addition, Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida has drafted separate articles that he could pursue once Democrats take the House in January.
The timing adds pressure. Massie first tried to bring the articles in September, but Speaker Mike Johnson quickly recessed the chamber, so Republicans avoided a public vote. Then the midterms arrived, and Republicans lost both chambers of Congress. Some Republicans have blamed the Iran war and the resulting jump in gas prices for the losses, and a few openly pushed for Hegseth to take responsibility. Even so, the party closed ranks on Tuesday.
Democrats have promised vigorous investigations of Hegseth’s Pentagon once they hold the majority. They could reintroduce impeachment articles, open oversight hearings or use subpoena power to examine the Iran war and other operations. Under the Constitution, the House needs only a simple majority to impeach, but the Senate needs a two-thirds vote to convict and remove, a threshold that remains very hard to reach.
Republicans, for their part, argue that the articles are political theater, and they say the military needs stable leadership during active operations. Critics counter that the House parked the case rather than defending Hegseth on the merits. Therefore, the real test will come in January, when a Democratic House decides how far to take its oversight.
Sojworldnews will follow the investigations as the new Congress takes shape.
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