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The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday blocked an attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A resolution containing articles of impeachment had been proposed against the secretary for starting a war against Iran without Congressional approval, but the decision was made to refer the matter to a committee. Hegseth held his first press conference in six months at the Pentagon on the same day, denouncing the impeachment move as a "travesty" and "sabotage."
The resolution was introduced on the 9th by Thomas Massie (Kentucky), a member of the ruling Republican Party and an opponent of President Donald Trump. Rep. Massie, who lost to the candidate recommended by Mr. Trump in the Republican primary for the midterm elections on the 3rd of this month, is scheduled to retire at the end of his term in January next year.
In his eight articles of impeachment, Massey argued that Hegseth "broke the law and must be held accountable" for continuing the war in Iran for more than 90 days without Congressional approval. He also accused him of orchestrating "extrajudicial killings" in American operations against vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the Pacific and Caribbean.
On the 10th, the House of Representatives put to a vote a motion to refer the resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which passed it with 211 votes in favor and 204 votes against. Massey was the only Republican to oppose judicial referrals. More than a dozen people abstained, including 11 Democratic members.
With only a few days remaining in the current House session, the impeachment resolution will be sent to a committee, effectively eliminating any chance of it passing. Efforts to impeach Hegseth will stall at least until the new Democratic-controlled Congress begins next January.
In order for the current Congress to find cabinet members guilty of misconduct and dismiss them, a certain number of Republicans, who have a majority in the House of Representatives, would need to stand up to Trump. Therefore, it was thought to be difficult to realize.
Trump: 'Great Patriot'
Trump celebrated the House vote and said in a post on his Truth Social social media platform that the impeachment effort had "failed miserably."
"Once again, victories in Venezuela and Iran, the highest enlistment numbers in military history (long lines!), and morale at an all-time high led to the acquittal of a great American patriot," the president's post also said, referring to Hegseth.
Massey, who introduced the impeachment resolution, argued that while his impeachment efforts might not be immediately successful, they would encourage Trump to remove Hegseth from office before Democrats begin their own impeachment proceedings.
Lawmakers also said that firing Hegseth now would allow Republicans to confirm a replacement while still controlling the Senate.
In last week's midterm elections, Democrats won a majority in both houses of Congress. The new parliament will begin in January next year. Democrats could then introduce an impeachment resolution.
Mr Hegseth lashes out at press conference
At a news conference on Tuesday, Hegseth called the effort to impeach him a public-profile political move by "disgruntled and defeated" lawmakers who are hostile to the Trump administration.
They also argued that Massey's resolution jeopardizes national security. This is because it would send a message to America's adversaries that the United States punishes its soldiers and civilian leaders who successfully carry out legitimate military operations.
"This is not patriotism. This is vandalism," he said.
But he said Massey's move was based on a policy disagreement and said it was "not a high crime, a misdemeanor, treason, bribery, or any other crime of the kind that the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the articles of impeachment."
Massey is one of the few members of the Republican Party who has opposed Trump, and has also been critical of the war with Iran, which began in February of this year. Aiming for reelection in the midterm elections, he entered the Republican primary in May of this year, but lost to a candidate supported by Trump.
Massey had also drawn Trump's ire for demanding that the Trump administration release files on the deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Secretary Hegseth's life was temporarily extended politically with the House of Representatives passing the motion that day. However, many members of Congress, including Republicans, are skeptical that he will be able to maintain his position in the administration for a long time to come.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, also from Texas, said on the 10th that he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired by Trump.
(English article US House blocks bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, for now)
