Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will not face an imminent impeachment vote in the House after Republican leaders blocked a resolution led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
On Tuesday evening, the House voted 211-204 to send Massie’s resolution to the Judiciary Committee for review, a move that effectively stopped it from advancing and avoided a possible impeachment vote on Wednesday.
Republican leaders had been concerned that absences could leave them vulnerable after the party’s poor midterm results last week. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., nevertheless managed to secure enough votes to defeat the measure as he prepares to leave the leadership post.
Massie’s resolution lays out eight articles of impeachment and accuses Hegseth of abusing his office. The allegations touch on the war with Iran, U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, and Hegseth’s response to Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., after Kelly took part in a video urging troops to refuse unlawful orders.
Hegseth denounced the effort at a Tuesday morning press conference and sharply criticized Massie, calling the resolution a political spectacle driven by personal resentment rather than oversight or accountability.
Massie was able to force a vote despite opposition from Republican leaders by filing a privileged resolution, which requires the House to consider it within two legislative days.
All Democrats who were present voted to advance the impeachment effort. Every Republican except Massie voted to stop it.
Before the vote, some Republicans had worried that low attendance could make the outcome less certain. Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, said he planned to vote against the measure, though he was unsure how many Republicans would be present. He called the effort a waste of time.
Some Republicans who have criticized Hegseth also opposed Massie’s resolution. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, said he viewed it as an attempt to blame Hegseth for decisions made by Congress and the president. Davidson opposes the administration’s involvement in Iran, but argued that holding the defense secretary responsible for a presidential decision would be unusual.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., another critic of Hegseth, said he did not believe Hegseth was the right person for the job, but disagreed with the case for impeachment set out by Massie.
