On a Tuesday in November, the House of Representatives chose a quiet procedural exit over a public reckoning, sending the impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee by a 211-204 vote. The charges, rooted in a war with Iran now in its ninth month and in a series of lethal operations and contested seizures, laid out a case about power exercised without consent and restraint set aside. Many members who privately despaired of how the war was being conducted nonetheless judged that the conduct, however troubling, fell short of what the Constitution reserves for impea
House Blocks Massie's Bid to Impeach Hegseth as Iran War Drags On
The impeachment resolution alleged civilian casualty violations in the Iran war, extrajudicial killings in Pentagon boat strikes in the Caribbean, and the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
"It's just the beginning," Jeffries said after the vote
Mark
So the impeachment is dead. Is that the whole story?
Mimi
For now. The House voted 211 to 204 to refer it to the Judiciary Committee, which effectively kills it. But Jeffries said it's just the beginning, and Democrats take both chambers in January.
Mark
Why did Republicans go along with it if they're frustrated with Hegseth?
Mimi
Frustration with the war's handling isn't the same as thinking his conduct is impeachable. Many Republicans drew that line.
Luke
Worth noting that's the reporting's characterization of many Republicans. We don't have a count of who holds which view, and seven Republicans didn't vote at all.
Mark
And Massie was the only Republican against the referral.
Mimi
Yes, and he's leaving in early January after losing his primary, so he said he won't bring another resolution.
Luke
The allegations are also just allegations. The resolution accuses Hegseth of extrajudicial killings and the Maduro kidnapping. Hegseth calls them partisan policy disagreements, and nothing here adjudicates either side.
Mark
What's Massie doing next?
Mimi
He says he'll force a war powers resolution vote, to see whether Republicans who blamed the war for an election loss will back it.
Luke
Whether they said that, and how they'd vote, is his framing. We'll know when the vote happens.
Mark
And Democrats could revive impeachment?
Mimi
They could. Only two Cabinet secretaries have ever been impeached, and neither was convicted.
Der Puls
- A 211-204 vote quietly buried an impeachment resolution that had carried allegations of civilian harm and lethal strikes in Iran and the Caribbean.
- Hegseth answered the charges with fury at a news conference, calling them a farce, a political spectacle, and partisan policy fights dressed up as crimes.
- Only Rep. Thomas Massie crossed party lines, a lone Republican voice in a chamber where many colleagues quietly doubted the war but would not call it impeachable.
- Massie, leaving office in January after losing his primary, is turning toward a war powers resolution that will test whether Republicans still stand by the conflict.
- Jeffries promises this is only the beginning, and the case may return when Democrats hold both chambers in January.
On a Tuesday in November, the House of Representatives chose a quiet procedural exit over a public reckoning, sending the impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee by a 211-204 vote. The charges, rooted in a war with Iran now in its ninth month and in a series of lethal operations and contested seizures, laid out a case about power exercised without consent and restraint set aside. Many members who privately despaired of how the war was being conducted nonetheless judged that the conduct, however troubling, fell short of what the Constitution reserves for impeachment. The question now passes into a new Congress, where the same grievances may return under different arithmetic.
The House voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to send a resolution impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, a procedural step that effectively ends it. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was the only member of his party to vote against the referral.
The resolution centered on the war with Iran, now in its ninth month. It accused Hegseth of launching that war without congressional approval, ignoring laws meant to limit civilian casualties, directing extrajudicial killings in Caribbean boat strikes, and ordering the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Many Republicans were frustrated with how he had run the war, but many did not believe his conduct rose to impeachable levels, and that view carried the day.
Massie said he was disappointed but not surprised. In his telling, members of Congress know what to do and simply cannot bring themselves to do it. Having lost his primary, he is leaving in January and has said he will not bring another impeachment resolution.
Hegseth dismissed the effort as a farce and a political spectacle, insisting none of the allegations were high crimes or misdemeanors. President Trump called it a failure. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it was just the beginning, and Democrats may revive the case once they control both chambers in January.
Massie has another move planned: a war powers resolution vote that he intends to frame as a test for Republicans who say the war cost the party an election.
The House voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to send a resolution impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, a procedural move that effectively ends it. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, was the only member of his party to vote with Democrats against the referral.
The resolution rested largely on the war with Iran, now in its ninth month. It accused Hegseth of abusing his office by launching that war without congressional approval and of ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties. It also accused him of directing extrajudicial killings in the Pentagon's boat strikes in the Caribbean, directing the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and retaliating against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, among other allegations.
Many Republicans have been frustrated with how Hegseth has handled the war. But many of them did not think his conduct reached the level of impeachment, and that was enough to carry the vote. Seven Republicans and 11 Democrats did not vote.
Massie said he was not surprised by the result, though he was disappointed. His view of Congress, he said, is that its members know what to do but cannot bring themselves to do it, even when it would help them politically. He lost his primary earlier this year and is leaving office in early January. He said Monday that he would not bring another impeachment resolution against Hegseth.
Hegseth held a news conference Tuesday morning and dismissed the effort as a "farce" and a "political spectacle." He said none of the allegations were high crimes or misdemeanors, calling them partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize the military. President Trump mocked the effort too, saying it "miserably FAILED!"
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said after the vote that it was not the end. "It's just the beginning," he said. Democrats could force the issue again, particularly once they take control of both chambers in January.
Massie has another move planned. He said Tuesday that he intends to force a vote on a war powers resolution. He framed it as a test for Republicans who have said the party lost an election because of the war, asking whether they will still vote for it.
The bar for this step is high in historical terms. Only two Cabinet secretaries have ever been impeached. Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached in 1876 over a corruption scandal and acquitted by the Senate. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached in 2024 over his handling of the southern border, and the Senate dismissed the charges.
What to watch next is Massie's war powers vote, and whether a Democratic-led Congress in January revives the case against Hegseth.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
This is not the end of it. It's just the beginning.— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
They're partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military.— Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei CBS News ↗