Pete Hegseth Impeachment Attempt Rejected by House of Representatives

The impeachment process initiated against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was dismissed Tuesday by the House of Representatives, which voted to refer the articles of impeachment to committee, a move that effectively puts the initiative on hold for now.

The House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 to refer the articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, which has a Republican majority. This referral effectively amounts to burying the process, at least in the short term. The initiative was led by Thomas Massie, a Republican representative from Kentucky, the only member of his party to vote against the referral. More than a dozen representatives, including eleven Democrats, were absent during the vote.

Massie accused the Secretary of Defense of conducting military operations against Iran for more than ninety days without Congressional authorization, in violation of the Constitution. The eight articles of impeachment filed Monday also accused Hegseth of overseeing “extrajudicial executions” during campaigns against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Pacific and Caribbean Seas.

At a Pentagon press conference, the first in six months, Pete Hegseth dismissed the process, calling it a “farce” and “sabotage.” He argued that Massie’s approach endangered national security by signaling to U.S. adversaries that the country was willing to “punish its own soldiers and civilian leadership for successfully conducting lawful military operations.” Hegseth also claimed that his colleague acted out of political disagreement, not for reasons related to the “high crimes” the Founding Fathers had in mind when drafting the impeachment clause.

Donald Trump celebrated the defeat of the motion on his Truth Social network, calling Massie a “big LOSER” and praising what he described as an “exoneration” of his Secretary of Defense. The president also highlighted military recruitment results and operations conducted in Venezuela and Iran to justify his support for Hegseth.

Massie, who lost his Republican primary to a Trump-backed candidate, had himself acknowledged that his initiative was unlikely to succeed immediately. Nevertheless, he hoped to pressure the president to replace Hegseth before the Democrats regain control. The latter indeed won the midterm elections and are preparing to take control of both chambers of Congress next January. Impeachment resolutions can be renewed from one legislature to another, which leaves Democrats the possibility to revive the process.

Pete Hegseth’s political survival remains uncertain beyond this vote. Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz stated Tuesday that he expects the Secretary of Defense to resign or be dismissed by Trump in the near future.