US House defeats attempt to impeach Defence Secretary Hegseth

The US House of Representatives voted to refer impeachment articles against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to a committee, effectively halting the bid for now.

The motion, introduced by Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, was defeated 211‑204. More than a dozen members, including 11 Democrats, missed the vote. Massie was the sole Republican to oppose sending the resolution to the Republican‑led House Judiciary Committee.

Massie’s eight‑article impeachment package accused Hegseth of conducting a war against Iran for over 90 days without congressional approval and of overseeing “extrajudicial killings” in drug‑interdiction operations in the Pacific and Caribbean. He argued the move could pressure President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats assume control of Congress in January.

In his first Pentagon briefing in six months, Hegseth dismissed the effort as a “farce” and “sabotage”, saying it threatened national security by signalling that the United States might punish its own leaders for lawful military actions. President Trump celebrated the vote on Truth Social, declaring the attempt “miserably FAILED”.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had earlier predicted the failure, and with the end of the current Congress approaching, the referral to committee is likely to end the impeachment attempt until the new Democratic majority takes office.

Source: BBC News. Photo: Paula Nardini / Pexels.