
AI-generated summary
Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie introduced an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of waging the Iran war illegally without congressional approval and questioning his actions regarding strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen and military operations in Venezuela. The House voted to refer the resolution to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, effectively killing the initiative.
US House Republicans voted on Tuesday to effectively block an impeachment bid against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, handing a victory to President Donald Trump as his administration reels from last week's midterm defeat.
Trump praised the outcome online, describing Hegseth as a "Great American Patriot" and saying the effort to impeach the hawkish Pentagon chief "has miserably FAILED!"
Pentagon chief says claims against him 'slander' and 'farce'
Hegseth has been facing increasing political pressure over the Iran war. Yesterday, Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie introduced a resolution to impeach Hegseth in an apparent bid to force a vote before the new US Congress convenes in January.
Massie is one of the few prominent Republicans who is also an outspoken Trump critic. The Kentucky congressman accuses the US defense secretary of waging the war illegally and without congressional approval. While the resolution focuses on Iran, it also questions Hegseth's actions regarding the strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen and military operations in Venezuela.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hegseth dismissed the accusations as "slander" and "sabotage."
"It's a farce, and it's a stunt, and everybody knows it," he said at a Pentagon press conference.
Massie: Republicans won't leave a sinking ship
The US House of Representatives has now voted 211 to 204 to refer the initiative to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee for further consideration.
Massie had warned that the referral would effectively kill his impeachment initiative.
Following the vote, Massie compared his Republican colleagues in the outgoing Congress to passengers staying on the Titanic.
"They know it's a sinking ship but committed to stay on board," he said.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The House Judiciary Committee will not advance the impeachment resolution, effectively ending Massie's initiative
Very likely · Within weeks

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House Republicans blocked a procedural vote on articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, voting 211-204 to refer the matter to the Judiciary Committee. Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie filed the articles Monday, accusing Hegseth of unlawfully waging war in Iran and Yemen, capturing former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and striking suspected drug trafficking boats.

The Republican-led House narrowly rejected an impeachment resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by a vote of 211-204, defeating eight articles accusing him of unauthorized military hostilities in Iran, Venezuela, and Yemen. The vote offers Hegseth a temporary reprieve, but Democrats, who won control of both chambers in last week's midterm elections, can revive the impeachment effort when the new Congress convenes on January 3, potentially making Hegseth the third Cabinet member in American history to be impeached.