Republicans in the US House of Representatives temporarily thwart an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday thwarted an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the war with Iran, representing a victory for President Donald Trump a few days after his party suffered defeat in the midterm elections.

The House of Representatives voted by a majority of 211 votes to 204 votes in favor of referring the impeachment decision to the Judicial Committee, which effectively obstructs a vote that was scheduled for Wednesday on filing formal charges against the Minister of Defense. Republican members of the House of Representatives voted against putting the articles of impeachment against Hegseth to a public vote in the House.

The US House of Representatives session began Tuesday night to vote on the dismissal of Defense Minister Pete Hegseth before its announced time.

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the efforts of a Republican representative in Congress to remove him from his position as a “farce” and a “political show,” considering that they represent “sabotage” at a time when the United States continues its military operations against Iran.

Hegseth's statements came during a press conference held at the Pentagon, in response to Republican Congressman Thomas Massie's submission of a draft resolution that includes eight charges requiring his removal, including continuing the war on Iran without authorization from Congress.

Representative Thomas Massie said: “By continuing military operations against Iran for more than 90 days without authorization from Congress, Secretary Hegseth is violating the law and must be held accountable.”

In his first press conference in six months, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday, described the efforts to isolate him as a “farce” and a “political show,” considering that they were motivated by vanity and personal resentment.

Hegseth said that what a "frustrated member of Congress who lost the election" is trying to do does not represent a quest for accountability, referring to Republican Representative Thomas Massie.

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He added that no US Defense Minister had ever been removed for carrying out “lawful military operations.”

Hegseth recalled the two attempts to impeach President Donald Trump in 2019 and 2021, saying that they failed and that Trump “came back stronger,” considering that the attempt to impeach him would meet the same fate.

He said: "This decision sends a message to our enemies - Iran, the drug cartels, and every opponent watching us - that the United States will punish its military and civilian leaders for successfully carrying out legal military operations."

He added: "This is not patriotism, but sabotage."

These efforts are likely to fail, as Republicans maintain control of Congress until next January, but Massey says that the goal of his move is to push President Donald Trump to replace Hegseth before the Democrats begin their impeachment procedures.

Hegseth described efforts to remove him as a "farce" and defended his performance in office.

“They are attacking me and us because we are achieving results, but it will not work, and we will not back down,” Hegseth said in a video statement last week.

He described Massey as a "frustrated member of Congress who lost the election," stressing that he is not concerned about efforts to isolate him.

In the video, Hegseth defended his leadership of the Ministry of Defense, reviewing what he said were achievements in implementing Trump's agenda based on the slogan "America First."

On Monday afternoon, Massey officially presented a draft resolution containing accusations requiring Hegseth's removal before the House of Representatives, giving the House 48 hours to consider it, and lawmakers can vote directly on the resolution, refer it to a committee, or set it aside.

“I'm doing it because it's the right thing to do,” Massey told reporters after presenting the project.

What are the eight charges against Hegseth?

The draft resolution submitted by Massey includes eight charges that, according to the Republican representative, require the removal of Hegseth, related to American military operations in Iran, Yemen and Venezuela, in addition to allegations of violating freedom of expression.

The first three accusations relate to the war on Iran, and include launching military operations without a declaration of war or legal authorization or exposing the United States to an attack or imminent threat, and continuing the war despite Congress voting to end it, as well as continuing hostilities after the legal deadline set for ending them and withdrawing forces has passed.

The fourth clause accuses Hegseth of ignoring laws aimed at reducing civilian casualties, while the fifth deals with extrajudicial killings, including launching additional strikes targeting survivors, and failing to rescue people who were drowned or shipwrecked.

The sixth item relates to the suppression of freedom of expression, against the backdrop of allegations of retaliatory measures being taken against Senator Mark Kelly.

Article Seven accuses Hegseth of involvement in the kidnapping of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro without constitutional authority, while Article Eight relates to launching attacks on Yemen without authorization from Congress.

Massie, who lost his re-election election earlier this year, has been one of the most prominent critics of Trump and the war on Iran since it broke out about nine months ago. He also previously attracted media attention by demanding that the Trump administration disclose files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in prison.

The Kentucky representative filed impeachment charges against Hegseth for the first time in September, before resubmitting them after Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives and Senate in last week's midterm elections.

Massie said his move aims to avoid what he described as a "political parade" that Democrats may organize next year after they take control of Congress.

He expressed his hope to push Trump to name a replacement for Hegseth, whose appointment could be approved quickly while Republicans still control both chambers.

He added in a statement: “My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much more moderate version of what will happen when Democrats take control of the House and Senate next year, as they will hold hearings and trials.”

The Democratic leadership had shown openness to taking steps to remove Hegseth after assuming control of Congress in January.

When Hegseth was asked about these efforts on Monday, he replied: “We are not concerned about that,” adding that he intends to hold a press conference on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Impeachment of a member of the US government is a rare procedure, as it requires the impeachment of the charges in the House of Representatives, then the conviction of the official in the Senate to remove him from office.

The House of Representatives had voted twice to impeach Trump in preparation for his removal during his first presidential term, but the Senate acquitted him in both trials, and he was not removed from office.

As in impeachment proceedings, the House must first vote on the charges against Hegseth, before the Senate holds a trial to determine whether to convict or acquit him.

Throughout its history, the US House of Representatives has only voted to remove two members of the government, and the Senate did not convict any of them.

He added: "There are enough angry Republicans, and more Republican representatives than the required number may be absent from the vote."

The House of Representatives currently includes 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats.

While approval of impeachment charges in the House of Representatives requires a simple majority, conviction in the Senate requires the approval of two-thirds of members, a percentage that is difficult to achieve during the current session of Congress.

When Democrats take control of the chamber in January, they are expected to hold at least 54 seats in the Senate, with the results of two election races remaining undecided due to close votes.