The House turned aside a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran.
The vote came as Republicans grapple with the fallout from sweeping midterm losses that some in the party have blamed on the war in Iran and the resulting surge in gas prices.
But after President Donald Trump signalled strong support for Hegseth, GOP lawmakers largely stood by the secretary. They rejected the impeachment effort led by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats.
The vote may only delay an impeachment push against Hegseth, with Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the next speaker when Democrats take charge in January, stood firmly behind the push, saying Hegseth has “abused his power” and “undermined America’s national security".
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Hegseth’s impeachment as well.
Hegseth rebuked the effort in his first news conference in months, portraying Massie as a rogue lawmaker and arguing he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal. He framed the effort as an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes and said it was undermining American forces “in real time.”
"This is not patriotism," Hegseth said. "This is sabotage."
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Massie's resolution included eight counts of impeachment. It largely focused on the war in Iran but also included references to Hegseth's role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.
Massie, a Kentucky Republican leaving Congress in January after losing his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, says Hegseth has “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders."
Hegseth holds rare press conference
Hegseth gave a defiant and politicised defence of his stewardship of the US military in his first news conference at the Pentagon in six months. He chose to hit back at the rising bipartisan anger over battlefield strategy while offering few details about intermittent operations against Iran or fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America.
Trump praised Hegseth’s performance at the briefing in a social media post, while Vice President JD Vance said in his own post that the impeachment effort is “a ridiculous show that stands in for actual policymaking”.
Hegseth said the impeachment resolution “tells our enemies — Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching — the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations”.
An impeachment vote is looming in the House
Massie filed the resolution in the House on Tuesday (NZT). It set the stage for the dramatic vote on whether to remove a key Trump administration Cabinet member following sweeping losses for Republicans in last week's midterm elections, which many at least partly blamed on the Iran conflict and its economic impact.
If the impeachment resolution had advanced, it would have set the stage for a dramatic vote on whether to impeach a key Trump Cabinet member following sweeping losses for Republicans in last week's midterm elections, which many at least partly blamed on the Iran conflict and its economic impact. If the resolution had passed the House, it would ultimately be sent to the Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be needed for Hegseth's removal.
“The law requires our military to withdraw from hostilities within 60 days if Congress does not authorise the activity,” Massie wrote on social media. The Iran war "has been underway for 256 days. Congress has not authorised it. Hegseth is breaking the law".
Massie’s resolution had eight counts of impeachment that focused on US military actions or changes on Hegseth’s watch. They include reported reductions in staff and resources at a Pentagon office focused on mitigating civilian harm, which preceded a US missile striking an Iranian primary school during the war, killing up to 168 people.
Another article of impeachment focused on Hegseth’s attempt to punish Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot, for participating in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders. Massie also called out US military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America and the failure to rescue survivors, which Massie argued will encourage adversaries to treat American forces the same way.
What constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanours" is not spelt out in the Constitution, leaving it to lawmakers to decide what are impeachable acts.
Hegseth also condemned the effort as "a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment".
House Speaker Mike Johnson blasted the impeachment effort as a "political gambit for attention". He predicted that Republicans would defeat it "one way or the other".
Not the first impeachment attempt in recent years
Hegseth cast Massie's resolution in historic terms, arguing that no defence secretary has been impeached in the nation's 250-year history "for carrying out lawful military operations".
But more recently, a Cabinet official in President Joe Biden's administration, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, was impeached by House Republicans over his handling of the US-Mexico border. But the Senate dismissed all impeachment charges, shutting down his trial before arguments even began.
Mayorkas, who did not appear to testify before the impeachment proceedings, put the border crisis squarely on Congress for failing to update immigration laws during a time of global migration. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had said then, in April 2024, that House Republicans’ charges failed to meet "the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanours" and could set a dangerous precedent.
Before Mayorkas, a sitting Cabinet secretary had never been impeached. It was nearly 150 years ago that the House voted to impeach President Ulysses S. Grant's war secretary, William Belknap, over a kickback scheme in government contracts. He resigned before the vote.
Trump offers support for Hegseth
Trump has backed Hegseth in the wake of Massie's impeachment resolution, pointing to the US military raid to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January as well as operations against Iran that he asserts have "obliterated" its navy and air force.
"Pete Hegseth gets an "A" PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defence against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.
Iran, however, has been able to keep striking US military bases in the Middle East and has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the more than 8-month-old conflict, driving up global oil prices.
Trump told reporters Monday that the Iran war "militarily is effectively over" and repeated his often-made claim that Tehran “would love to make a deal.”
Besides public comments, Hegseth also has been defending his leadership of the US military in a social media blitz. He released a video last week arguing impeachment would be "all about the politics of personal destruction" and that "won’t work with me".
Scores of Pentagon political appointees have posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words, "Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic."
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