The US House of Representatives on November 10 blocked an attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Republican majority managed to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively halting the process of considering charges against the Pentagon chief. CNN reports.
According to official voting results, the decision to refer the resolution to committee was supported by 211 congressmen, with 204 against. 210 Republicans and one independent voted in favor. The only Republican who opposed was the impeachment's initiator, Thomas Massie. All 203 Democrats who participated in the vote also did not support referring the document to committee.
According to CNN, Republican leadership, together with White House representatives, actively worked to prevent a direct vote on the impeachment. This occurred against the backdrop of Republican losses in the midterm congressional elections, after which the party tried to demonstrate unity.
The procedure was initiated by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has repeatedly criticized the Donald Trump administration. His resolution contained eight articles of impeachment. The main allegations concerned waging war against Iran without proper congressional approval, as well as other American military operations.
Specifically, Massie accused Hegseth of violating laws regarding the protection of civilians, illegal strikes on ships in the Caribbean Sea, and abuse of power. The Defense Secretary himself rejected the allegations, calling the initiative political theater, CBS News reports.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the voting results. In his post on Truth Social, he stated that the attempt to impeach Hegseth had completely failed, and called Massie a loser.
"The Democrats' attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has suffered a pathetic failure", - wrote the American president.
However, the decision taken does not mean that the House of Representatives considered the charges on their merits or acquitted Hegseth. Congressmen only voted to refer the resolution to committee, which effectively stopped the impeachment process in the current Congress.
Democratic leader in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries stated after the vote that this is not the end of the matter, but only the beginning. Democrats will have the opportunity to return to the initiative after control of the House passes to the party in January 2027.
Based on materials from: CNN, US House of Representatives, CBS News
