House Republicans block Pete Hegseth’s impeachment bid, Donald Trump calls it ‘exoneration of a great American patriot’ | Today’s news
House Republicans stalled a motion to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday after a majority voted to refer eight articles to the House Judiciary Committee. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 to refer the articles of impeachment to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee.
Thomas Massie, the outgoing Republican representative of Kentucky, had previously warned that the vote would kill the impeachment motion.
Allegations against Pete Hegseth
Massie’s eight articles of impeachment charged Hegseth with illegally waging war without congressional approval and abusing his powers as head of the Pentagon.
Several covered the eight-month war in Iran and accused him of violating the War Powers Resolution, which limits U.S. military intervention without congressional authorization.
Other allegations related to the 2025 conflict with Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis and attacks on alleged drug-smuggling ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, which Massie described as “extrajudicial killings”.
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He also accused Hegseth of stifling free speech by seeking to punish Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly over a video calling for military and intelligence personnel to refuse illegal orders.
What’s next for Pete Hegseth?
Massie had hoped to win votes from Republicans angered by Hegseth’s policies and wary of the unpopularity of the Iran war, but no other Republicans joined him. Democrats who supported the impeachment effort will now have to wait until at least January when they take control of Congress next year.
This is not the first time that House Republicans, despite some of them calling for Hegseth’s impeachment, have stalled a vote. In September, when Massie initially moved the articles of impeachment against Hegseth, House Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly canceled the last scheduled day of legislative session and sent lawmakers home early, delaying a vote until the midterm elections were over.
Johnson on Tuesday called the impeachment motion a “political stunt” and predicted Republicans would defeat it “one way or another.”
Trump calls it an exoneration
US President Donald Trump, who continues to publicly support Hegseth, a former Fox News host, hailed the development, saying the impeachment effort had “failed miserably!”
“Every single Republican, except for Thomas Massie, the big LOSER, voted for Pete,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump added that Hegseth’s performance on Iran, Venezuela and other issues “led to the PROOF of a great American patriot.”
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Vice President JD Vance also backed the defense secretary, saying he “clearly did not commit” any impeachable crimes.
In a post on X, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell called the vote a “TOTAL VICTORY!”
“We look forward to ending this sham impeachment in the committee room where the facts will continue to prevail and this distraction can be brought to an end,” Parnell added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort as a “farce” and defended his record in leading the Iran war and other military operations under Trump.
“It’s a farce and it’s a trick and everybody knows it,” he told a Pentagon press conference, calling the allegations “slander” and “sabotage.”
