The attempt to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth failed Tuesday night in the US Congress, rejected by a margin of seven votes. The unexplained absence of eleven Democratic lawmakers sparked strong anger within the party.
The procedural vote intended to initiate an impeachment process against Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense in the Republican administration, did not reach the required threshold Tuesday night in the House of Representatives. The motion was rejected by seven votes, a result that could have been different if eleven Democratic lawmakers had not been absent at the time of the vote.
Indignation quickly spread among the Democratic ranks. Several representatives present in the chamber publicly criticized their missing colleagues, some of whom were nevertheless in Washington. The absentees gave various justifications: traffic jams, simultaneous events, or the decision by House Speaker Mike Johnson to close the vote prematurely according to several testimonies.
Many of those not present inside the Capitol nevertheless emphasized that they support the effort to impeach the Secretary of Defense. This clarification was not enough to defuse internal tension, the final result making each absence arithmetically decisive.
The impeachment procedure, rarely used against a cabinet member, first requires the adoption of a procedural resolution before any substantive examination. It is at this preliminary stage that the Democratic attempt failed, depriving the case of any immediate outcome.
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