House Republicans block impeachment! US defense escapes disaster for the time being, Democrats threaten to fight again next year

After the disastrous defeat in the midterm elections, U.S. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie proposed the impeachment of War Secretary Pete Hegseth over the unpopular war with Iran. The Republicans, who still hold the majority, voted to reject the case on Tuesday (10th), but the Democrats, who will control the majority in Congress in January next year, have expressed their intention to promote impeachment.

The Associated Press reported that after the Republican Party was defeated in the midterm elections, many people in the party blamed the defeat on the war in Iran that lasted for more than eight months and the subsequent soaring oil prices. However, after President Trump made it clear that he supported Hegseth, most Republican lawmakers chose to return to escort him. They held a procedural vote on Tuesday and sent the bill to the committee with 211 votes in favor and 204 votes against, preventing the case from being submitted to the full house for a vote, which was equivalent to blocking the impeachment action initiated by Massey and supported by the Democratic Party.

Massey listed eight articles of impeachment in the resolution, accusing Hegseth of "knowingly executing illegal orders." Not only did he drastically cut the Pentagon's personnel responsible for reducing civilian harm, causing a U.S. missile to accidentally hit an Iranian elementary school and killing hundreds of people, he also attempted to punish retired naval pilots who called on the troops to resist illegal orders. Massey denounced that according to law, without authorization from Congress, the U.S. military must withdraw from hostilities within 60 days. Now that the war has lasted 256 days, Hegseth has blatantly violated the law.

Hegseth later held a press conference at the Pentagon to counterattack, criticizing Massey as an outlier who undermined the system. He refuted the relevant accusations as just "policy differences" and by no means treason, bribery or major crimes stipulated in the Constitution. He even bluntly stated that the impeachment case was telling enemies such as Iran that "the United States will punish its own people who successfully carry out military missions." He denounced the proposal as "not patriotic, but deliberately sabotaging."

Trump and Vice President Vance also posted messages of support on social platforms. Trump praised Hegseth's defense performance as an "A+++" and scolded Massey, who lost the primary, as a complete fool; Vance mocked the impeachment case as just a ridiculous farce that replaced substantive policymaking.

Reports pointed out that this vote may only temporarily block the wave of impeachment. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to take over as Speaker of the House of Representatives in January next year, has made it clear that he "firmly supports" impeachment, criticizing Hakeem Sess as the chief architect of the Iran war, a serious abuse of power and endangering national security. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has also publicly expressed support for the impeachment case.