Washington [US], November 11 (ANI): In a significant show of party unity following bruising midterm election setbacks, House Republican leaders and White House officials on Tuesday night successfully quashed an effort to impeach United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, averting a potentially humiliating floor defeat for President Donald Trump.
In a narrow 211-204 vote, lawmakers agreed to refer the impeachment resolution to a committee. The procedural move, aggressively pushed by Republican leaders, effectively buried the measure introduced by GOP Representative Thomas Massie and prevented it from being debated or voted on directly on the House floor.
Multiple sources told CNN that House Republican leaders, working in close coordination with senior White House officials, had engaged in furious behind-the-scenes lobbying to neutralise the impeachment effort launched by Massie.
However, the procedural victory offers only a temporary legislative reprieve for Hegseth and the Trump administration, as the vote occurred in the outgoing, lame-duck session of the current Congress where Republicans still retain a razor-thin majority.
With Democrats having swept the midterm elections, the balance of power will fundamentally shift when the 120th Congress convenes in January.
Once the incoming Democratic majority takes formal control of the chamber under Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, lawmakers are widely expected to revive the impeachment push against Hegseth, once again.
Massie had moved a privileged resolution containing eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, alleging that the War Secretary violated the US Constitution and the War Powers Act by prosecuting unauthorised military strikes against Iran and Yemen, as well as the operation leading to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Hegseth has maintained that all military actions were lawful and executed strictly under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief.
Earlier in the day, Massie intensified his bid to unseat Hegseth by detailing the legal foundation of his impeachment resolution under Article III, accusing Hegseth of directly violating the War Powers framework by prosecuting military actions without legislative approval.
"IMPEACHMENT, Article III. The law requires our military to withdraw from hostilities within 60 days if Congress does not authorize the activity. Operation Epic Fury has been underway for 256 days. Congress has not authorized it. Hegseth is breaking the law. Not even debatable," Massie posted on X.
Meanwhile, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment push against him, comparing it to the two unsuccessful impeachment proceedings faced by President Donald Trump during his first term and expressing confidence that this attempt would meet the same fate.
Addressing a press briefing at the Pentagon, Hegseth defended his execution of the Trump administration's military directives, declaring: "We've seen this show before. They impeached President Trump over a perfect phone call. They impeached him again in his final week in office. Both times they failed... Now they're trying a third time—this time against a member of his cabinet."
Asserting that he was proud to execute the Commander-in-Chief's orders, Hegseth added, "They will fail again. And if standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I'll take that company every day of the week."
Backing the Pentagon chief following his remarks, President Trump awarded Hegseth an "A" PLUS PLUS PLUS on Truth Social, while launching a blistering counter-attack against Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who introduced the measure.
"Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS PLUS PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" Trump posted. (ANI)
House Republicans defeat impeachment bid against Hegseth in narrow 211-204 vote
