Republicans save Hegseth from impeachment, for now

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has survived an impeachment effort, at least for now, after the U.S. House on Tuesday blocked a vote over charges that the Cabinet official oversaw extrajudicial killings and an illegal war against Iran.

The House voted 211-204, largely along party lines, to refer articles of impeachment against Hegseth to a committee — effectively killing the impeachment effort until the end of the current Congress in January. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans missed the vote.

The vote came hours after Hegseth defended himself in a fiery news conference at the Pentagon, where he denounced the impeachment effort as an attack on American service members.

He called the bid to remove him a “farce” and flatly rejected the notion that he had committed impeachable offenses as the top civilian leader of the military. He likened himself to President Donald Trump, who was twice impeached during his first term.

“Let’s be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations,” Hegseth said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, an outgoing Kentucky Republican, introduced articles of impeachment Monday alleging the Defense secretary waged unlawful war against Iran, ordered extrajudicial killings and ignored laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, among other charges. 

Impeachment would have represented an extraordinary rebuke of one of the most divisive members of Trump’s Cabinet. 

Hegseth, a 46-year-old former Fox News personality who narrowly won Senate confirmation last year, has sought to project a swashbuckling, masculine image as the military’s top civilian leader. He has rebranded the Department of Defense as the “Department of War,” purged numerous high-ranking officers and tried to kick critical media outlets out of the Pentagon.

On Tuesday, Hegseth called Massie a “disgruntled and defeated congressman” who is attempting a “political spectacle” driven by ego and resentment. Massie, who has often clashed with Trump, lost his primary in May to a Trump-backed challenger.

“It’s a farce and it’s a stunt and everybody knows it,” Hegseth said.

Hegseth’s opponents could try again to impeach him during the new Congress, which begins in January. Democrats will hold a large majority in the House at that time.

Earlier in the day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat who will likely become majority leader when his party takes over the chamber, said Hegseth should stand trial in the Senate if impeached.

“Hegseth is already trying to hide behind our troops, falsely claiming that Congress disapproves of our courageous servicemembers even though we have fought to bring them home for months,” Schumer said.

President Donald Trump has so far stood by Hegseth. He praised the Defense secretary in multiple public remarks over the past two weeks,  saying he’s “done a fantastic job” in reducing the number of “woke” four-star generals, and for conducting the “war with Venezuela,” which he said “was over in 48 minutes.”

“Pete Hegseth should be praised, not Impeached. Congress, stand up for Pete!!!” Trump wrote in a social media post on Monday.