In short
- The US House of Representatives voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee.
- Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky was the only Republican to vote against sending the resolution to committee; more than a dozen members, including 11 Democrats, missed the vote.
- The eight articles accused Hegseth of fighting a war in Iran for more than 90 days without lawmakers’ approval and of overseeing “extrajudicial killings” in US strikes on boats in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
- Hegseth called the impeachment effort a “farce” and “sabotage”, and President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that it “has miserably FAILED”.
- Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, said on Tuesday he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired by Trump.
The US House of Representatives voted 211-204 on Tuesday to send articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, a move that ends for now a Republican congressman’s attempt to remove him over the war in Iran.
Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment in the House on Monday. Massie said Hegseth was “breaking the law and must be held accountable” for fighting a war in Iran for more than 90 days without lawmakers’ approval. France has separately accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of a cyber-attack.
The articles also accused Hegseth of overseeing “extrajudicial killings” in the US campaign against boats alleged to be carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. A UN report said US boat strikes could be crimes against humanity.
How did the House vote?
Massie was the only Republican to vote against moving the resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee. More than a dozen members missed the vote, including 11 Democrats. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, had predicted earlier in the day that the bid would fail.
How did Pete Hegseth respond?
In his first news briefing from the Pentagon in six months, Hegseth called the impeachment effort a “farce” and “sabotage”, describing it as a political stunt by a Trump opponent who was “disgruntled and defeated”.
Hegseth said the resolution endangered national security because it told US adversaries “that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations”. He added: “This is not patriotism. This is sabotage.”
Hegseth said Massie was motivated by policy differences, and that the allegations were “not high crimes, not misdemeanours, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offences the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause”.
What did Donald Trump and Thomas Massie say?
President Donald Trump celebrated the vote in a post on Truth Social, saying the effort “has miserably FAILED”. Trump wrote: “Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot.”
Massie said he “wasn’t surprised” but “was disappointed”, according to CBS. “My diagnosis of Congress is these people know what to do,” he said. “They just can’t bring themselves to do it, even when it would benefit them politically.”
What happens to the impeachment effort now?
Referring the measure to the Judiciary Committee effectively kills the effort, because only a short period remains in this Congress before Democrats take control of both chambers in January. Impeachment resolutions can carry past the end of a congressional term, meaning Democrats would be able to take up the measure next year.
Massie had argued that removing Hegseth now would give the Senate time to approve a replacement while Republicans were still in power. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, said on Tuesday he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired by Trump. Massie lost re-election earlier this year to a Trump-backed opponent.
Frequently asked questions
Was Pete Hegseth impeached by the House?
No. The House voted 211-204 to refer articles of impeachment against Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, a move that effectively kills the effort for this Congress.
What was Pete Hegseth accused of?
Republican congressman Thomas Massie filed eight articles accusing Hegseth of fighting a war in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorisation and of overseeing “extrajudicial killings” in US strikes on boats in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
How did Hegseth respond to the impeachment attempt?
In his first Pentagon news briefing in six months, Hegseth called the effort a “farce” and “sabotage” and said it was a political stunt by an opponent who was “disgruntled and defeated”.
Could Democrats revive the impeachment effort?
Impeachment resolutions can carry past the end of a congressional term, so Democrats, who take control of both chambers in January, would be able to take up the measure next year.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)