The Republican-led US House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively ending a Hegseth impeachment vote for now and halting an effort led by Republican Thomas Massie to oust him. According to Al Jazeera, the articles could remain in committee indefinitely.
According to the Guardian World, Massie was the sole Republican to oppose the motion, and all Democrats also opposed it. The rest of the vote fell largely along party lines.
According to Al Jazeera, 18 representatives were absent: 11 Democrats and seven Republicans. Democrats would have defeated the motion had they all voted against it, which would have forced a full House vote.
According to BBC World, the eight articles accuse Hegseth of breaking the law by fighting a war in Iran for more than 90 days without lawmakers’ approval. They also accuse him of overseeing alleged "extrajudicial killings" in the campaign against boats alleged to carry drugs.
BBC World reported that Hegseth called the effort a "farce" and "sabotage" at his first Pentagon news briefing in six months, and said Massie was motivated by policy differences. According to Al Jazeera, Trump said on Truth Social that the effort "miserably FAILED" and hailed the "EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot." Al Jazeera also reported that the Pentagon declared "total victory." The Guardian World reported that the Pentagon statement came via a spokesperson’s social media post.
Jeffries said in the House that the issue was "not the end of it." He will consult members on a new impeachment bid when the new Congress convenes in January, but no plans or timeline have been set.
A conviction in the Senate requires at least two-thirds support, so Democrats would likely need about a dozen Republicans to remove Hegseth. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, said he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired.
Massie has criticized Trump and the war in Iran since it began in February. He said he was "disappointed" by the result. He argued that removing Hegseth now would let the Senate approve a replacement while Republicans still held power.
The sources differ on how Massie lost his most recent election. The Guardian World says he lost his primary after breaking with the president. BBC World says he lost re-election earlier this year to a Trump-backed opponent. Neither gives further detail.
Democrats take control of the House and Senate on January 3 and could restart impeachment. The current Congress ends in about eight weeks, so the referred articles are unlikely to return to the House floor before then.
The key facts rest on full articles from Al Jazeera and BBC World and an excerpt from a Guardian World live blog. No independent source confirmed the vote count. Some members gave reasons for their absence, including traffic, a veterans event, a health procedure, a personal emergency and an unexplained denial of the ability to vote. Stevens, Brownley and Wilson gave no comment. The sources do not say whether the Judiciary Committee will act on the articles.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.