Hegseth Impeachment Bid Dies After Key Vote

House Republicans defeated a bid to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday evening.

The chamber voted 211-204 to refer the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee.

This procedural step effectively halts the measure introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

It averts a full floor vote on the articles of impeachment that was scheduled for Wednesday.

The vote gave Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., a final victory as he prepares to leave his leadership role.

Every Democrat present voted to allow the effort to proceed.

Massie was the only Republican to support the resolution.

Republican leadership feared a lack of attendance could leave them without the necessary votes to block the measure.

That concern followed the party's poor performance in the midterm elections the previous week.

Massie's proposal contained eight articles of impeachment accusing Hegseth of misusing his office.

The allegations covered the war in Iran and American strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.

They also addressed Hegseth's retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders. Massie forced the House to consider the matter by filing a privileged resolution. This procedure requires the chamber to take up the proposal within two legislative days of filing. It allowed Massie to bring the matter to the floor despite opposition from party leaders. Hegseth criticized the effort during a Tuesday morning news conference. He described it as "a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment." President Donald Trump reacted to the vote on Truth Social after it concluded. He praised Hegseth's record on military operations in Venezuela and Iran, along with recruitment efforts, while insulting Massie. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital before the vote that he would oppose the articles. He expressed uncertainty about whether enough Republicans would be present to stop the measure if Democratic attendance was high. Ellzey described the proceedings as "a ridiculous waste of time." Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, also voted against the resolution. He argued that the measure sought to hold Hegseth accountable for actions by the president and Congress. Davidson said holding a defense secretary responsible for a president's decision would be unprecedented. He noted that the underlying conduct was consistent with practices dating to the Korean War. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told reporters that his doubts about Hegseth did not translate into support for impeachment. He stated that he did not consider Hegseth the right choice for the job but disagreed with the specific resolution Massie filed.