The US House of Representatives blocked the impeachment effort to remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from moving forward.
The resolution, which prevented the progress of the eight-article impeachment proposal submitted by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, was accepted by the House of Representatives with 211 votes against 204.
Some Republicans who criticized Hegseth also argued that the minister's actions did not fall within the "high crimes and misdemeanors" required for impeachment.
US President Donald Trump, in his post on social media after the vote, said, "The Democrats' attempt to dismiss Secretary of War Hegseth failed terribly."
Trump noted that all House Republicans voted in favor of Hegseth except Thomas Massie, who introduced the articles of impeachment, and called Massie a "total loser."
"Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the highest recruitment numbers in the history of the military (long waiting lists to join) and a morale rarely seen before brought the acquittal of a great American patriot (Hegseth). Democrats continue to weaponize and abuse the United States. They must be stopped," Trump said.
Reaction to 11 Democratic members who did not participate in the vote
The failure of 11 Democratic members of the House of Representatives to participate in the vote was decisive in blocking the impeachment attempt. If all of these members had voted against the resolution that prevented the motion from moving forward, the impeachment process could have progressed.
It was announced that the members who did not participate in the voting were Melanie Stansbury, Marilyn Strickland, Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Laura Gillen, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Brittany Pettersen, Haley Stevens and Frederica Wilson.
After the vote, Democratic Congress members and many social media users reacted to the members who did not participate in the vote.
Abdul el-Sayed, of Egyptian origin, who was elected as the first Muslim senator in US history in the midterm elections, criticized the members of Congress who did not participate in the voting in a program he attended and said, "You should come to your duty and do your job."
Allegations also emerged on social media that some of these 11 Democratic members received donations from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying organization in the United States, for their election campaigns.
Accusations against Hegseth
Massie accused Hegseth of waging war without authorization from Congress, weakening measures to protect civilians, and carrying out extrajudicial killings.
The motion demanding Hegseth's dismissal and banning him from holding federal office in the future included accusations regarding US military operations in Iran, Yemen, Venezuela and the Caribbean.
The motion also included allegations regarding Hegseth's stance on military control, civilian casualties and freedom of expression.
The majority in the House of Representatives will change hands in January
In the current distribution of the US House of Representatives, Republicans have 218 seats, Democrats have 214 seats, and independents have one seat. Two chairs are vacant.
According to the unofficial results of the midterm elections held on November 3, Democrats have won 255 seats so far, while Republicans remain at 167 seats.
Although the winner of the 13 seats in the House of Representatives is not yet clear, Democrats will hold the majority in the new House that will take office in January.
