Washington: The U.S. House of Representatives has blocked, for now, an attempt to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran, the Associated Press reported.
Republicans voted on Tuesday to send the impeachment resolution back to committee rather than allow it to move forward. The vote was 211–204 and effectively ends the effort during the current Congress. Massie was the only Republican to vote with Democrats against the move.
The effort was led by Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats. It came as Republicans face criticism after heavy midterm losses, which some in the party blame on the Iran war and higher petrol prices.
President Donald Trump strongly supported Hegseth. After Trump made his position clear, most Republican lawmakers stood behind the defence secretary and blocked the impeachment attempt in a near party-line vote.
Democrats are expected to take control of the House and Senate in January. That means the issue could return next year.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, expected to become the next speaker, supported the effort. He said Hegseth had “abused his power” and “undermined America’s national security.”
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also backed impeaching Hegseth.
Hegseth Defends Himself
Hegseth rejected the effort at his first news conference in months. He called Massie a rogue lawmaker and said he had not committed any “high crimes” under the Constitution.
He said the impeachment attempt was an attack on American soldiers and their achievements. He said it was harming U.S. forces “in real time.”
“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth said. “This is sabotage.”
At the Pentagon on Tuesday, Hegseth strongly defended his leadership of the military. He criticised growing anger from both parties over battlefield strategy but gave few details about operations against Iran or deadly strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs in Latin America.
He said the resolution would send a dangerous message to America’s enemies.
“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,” Hegseth said.
Trump praised Hegseth’s performance in a social media post. Vice President JD Vance called the impeachment effort “a ridiculous show that stands in for actual policymaking.”
Trump later celebrated the House vote, calling it the exoneration of “a Great American Patriot.”
Why Hegseth Faced Charges
Massie filed eight articles of impeachment on Monday. Most focused on the Iran war, but they also referred to U.S. military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.
Massie said Hegseth had “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders.” He argued that the Iran war had continued for 256 days without congressional approval, even though the law requires troops to withdraw after 60 days if Congress has not authorised the action.
One article focused on reported cuts to a Pentagon office that works to reduce civilian harm. The cuts came before a U.S. missile struck an Iranian primary school, killing as many as 168 people.
Another article accused Hegseth of trying to punish Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy pilot, for joining a video that urged troops to resist unlawful orders.
Massie also criticised U.S. strikes on boats allegedly used for drug smuggling in Latin America. He said the failure to rescue survivors could encourage enemies to treat American forces in the same way.
The Constitution does not clearly define “high crimes and misdemeanours.” Congress decides which actions are serious enough for impeachment.
Hegseth said the concerns were only policy disagreements.
“They are policy disagreements, not high crimes, not misdemeanours, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offences the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause,” he said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the effort a “political gambit for attention.” He said Republicans would defeat it “one way or the other.”
Not The First Case
Hegseth said no defence secretary had ever been impeached in America’s 250-year history “for carrying out lawful military operations.”
But impeachment attempts against Cabinet officials have happened recently. House Republicans impeached Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas under President Joe Biden over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Senate dismissed the charges before a trial began.
Before Mayorkas, no sitting Cabinet secretary had been impeached. The last similar case was nearly 150 years ago, when the House impeached William Belknap, President Ulysses S. Grant’s war secretary, over a kickback scheme. Belknap resigned before the vote.
Trump Backs Hegseth
Trump supported Hegseth after Massie filed the resolution. He pointed to the U.S. operation that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and to operations against Iran, which he said had “obliterated” Iran’s 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 on Truth Social.
Iran has continued to strike U.S. military bases in the Middle East and disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has lasted more than eight months and has pushed global oil prices higher.