WASHINGTON — House Republicans moved Tuesday to block an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, turning aside allegations that the Pentagon chief committed high crimes and misdemeanors while directing overseas military conflicts.
Lawmakers voted 211 to 204 along near-strict party lines to send the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively terminating the measure before the current congressional term concludes. Representative Thomas Massie, an outgoing Kentucky Republican who introduced the eight articles of impeachment, was the sole GOP member who voted with Democrats against shelving the resolution.
Pentagon Chief Mounts Public Defense
The House vote came hours after Hegseth conducted a rare news conference at the Pentagon, his first in six months, to push back forcefully against the push for his removal. Hegseth characterized the initiative as “a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment,” dismissing the allegations as disputes over policy rather than impeachable acts.
“I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow,” Hegseth said.
President Donald Trump voiced unwavering support for his defense secretary, writing on Truth Social that the procedural result was the “EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot.” Trump had also praised Hegseth a day earlier at the White House, declaring that Hegseth had “won two wars.”
The Allegations Behind the Measure
Massie, who lost his Republican primary earlier in the year, introduced the resolution on accusations that Hegseth repeatedly exceeded his constitutional bounds. Massie cited military action against Iran and Yemen launched without authorization from Congress, as well as the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The resolution also accused Hegseth of violating laws aimed at reducing civilian deaths, pointing to an airstrike on a school in Minab, Iran, that killed more than 168 people. In addition, the filing targeted strikes on boats suspected of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that left at least 221 dead, alongside alleged retaliation against Senator Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat who had reminded troops of their duty to refuse illegal orders.
Several House Republicans said that even if they harbored misgivings regarding military actions, they did not believe Hegseth’s performance met the constitutional threshold for impeachment. Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and retired Air Force brigadier general, indicated he had concerns regarding Hegseth but disagreed with how the articles were drafted, PBS News reported.
Democrats Signal Future Scrutiny
The vote followed midterm elections in which Republicans lost control of both congressional chambers. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is anticipated to become speaker when the new Congress convenes in January, argued that Hegseth has undermined national security and stoked economic burdens through foreign conflict.
“This is not the end of it. It’s just the beginning,” Jeffries said following Tuesday’s vote, according to CBS News.
While Massie stated he does not intend to introduce another impeachment resolution before leaving office, he said he plans to demand a vote on a war powers resolution to test lawmakers’ positions on hostilities with Iran. Only two Cabinet members in U.S. history have ever faced impeachment: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, who was acquitted by the Senate, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, whose charges were dismissed without a trial.
