WASHINGTON — The House voted 211–204 to refer Rep. Thomas Massie’s impeachment articles against “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively halting the push for now, according to NPR. The measure followed a floor vote Massie forced; Hegseth had called the effort a “farce,” the Western Journal article said.
What Massie alleged
The articles filed by Massie accused Hegseth of multiple actions, including, per the article: violating the War Powers Act “in the war with Iran”; failing to protect civilians; so‑called “extrajudicial killings” by sinking drug‑running boats at sea; suppressing free speech by seeking to prosecute Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over a video urging soldiers to disobey orders; kidnapping tied to the seizure of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro; and conducting an unlawful war in Yemen.
Attendance blowback
Newsweek noted that 11 Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote. Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager‑Dove of California criticized the absences: “People should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote. There is no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues,” she said, according to Newsweek.
Trump celebrates; Hegseth dismisses ‘farce’
Former President Donald Trump hailed the outcome on Truth Social: “The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete,” he wrote, also touting what he described as “Victories in Venezuela and Iran” and recruitment “like rarely seen before.”
Hegseth had described the impeachment attempt as a “farce,” according to the Western Journal article.
Democratic leaders signal another try
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Hegseth has “abused his power” and “undermined America’s national security,” according to the Associated Press. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he looks forward to another impeachment vote under Democratic control: “The Senate needs to put Pete Hegseth on trial so we can remove him for his catastrophic failure in Iran,” he said, according to Fox News.
The article said Democrats will have enough votes to pass an impeachment resolution in the House when the new Congress convenes in January. It also noted that conviction in the Senate would require a two‑thirds vote, meaning Democrats would need Republican support to remove Hegseth.
One warning on impeachment
Law professor Jonathan Turley cautioned about using impeachment as a tool to force “a course change,” calling that approach “cavalier” and “destabilizing,” in a Nov. 10 post on X.
What the vote did
NPR reported the 211–204 vote referred the articles to committee, which the outlet described as effectively killing Massie’s resolution.
