US House of Representatives rejects impeachment proceedings against Hegseth

Republicans in the US House of Representatives repelled a move to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday (local time). They voted almost unanimously against the resolution initiated by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and supported by Democrats.

MPs voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to refer the request back to the Justice Committee. This means that a plenary vote on impeachment proceedings against the Pentagon chief on Wednesday is off the table.

Hegseth speaks of a “show trial”

Hegseth should be removed from office because of his administration and his handling of the Iran war. The vote came amid heated debate within the Republican Party about the consequences of significant losses in the midterm elections. Some Republicans attributed this to the Iran war and the resulting sharp rise in gasoline prices.

After President Donald Trump explicitly backed Hegseth, the majority of Republicans in the House of Representatives stood by the minister. Hegseth himself spoke of a show trial and said: "The whole thing is a farce and it is a production - and everyone knows that."

However, the decision could only postpone the effort to remove him from office. Democrats will take control of the House and Senate in January.