Washington, Nov 11 (V7N)- An impeachment initiative against US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over alleged unauthorised military operations in Iran has been stalled after the House of Representatives voted to refer the resolution to a committee, effectively halting further action for now.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday (November 10) to send the impeachment resolution to the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who introduced the proposal, abstained from the vote. He was the only Republican member to oppose referring it to the committee. More than a dozen lawmakers, including 11 Democrats, were absent.
The decision leaves little time for further action during the current congressional term before the new Congress convenes in January. Democrats are expected to take control of both chambers following their midterm election victories.
Earlier on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted that the impeachment initiative would fail.
Meanwhile, Hegseth described the effort as a "farce" and "sabotage" during a Pentagon news conference, his first public response to the impeachment push in six months. He argued that the initiative threatened US national security.
Massie formally introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday (November 9), accusing him of violating the law and conducting military operations against Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorisation.
The resolution also accused Hegseth of overseeing what it described as "extrajudicial killings" during US military operations against vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the Pacific and Caribbean.
Hegseth rejected the allegations, describing the initiative as politically motivated and driven by opponents dissatisfied with the Trump administration.
At the Pentagon briefing, he argued that the proposal sent a message to US adversaries that the country could punish its own military personnel and civilian leaders for carrying out legitimate military operations.
"This is not patriotism, this is sabotage," Hegseth said.
He also argued that Massie's allegations were based primarily on policy disagreements rather than conduct involving high crimes, misdemeanours, treason or bribery, which he said were the constitutional grounds contemplated by the framers for impeachment.
US President Donald Trump made an appearance in the White House press briefing room on Monday to highlight an increase in military recruitment. Hegseth reiterated the administration's position on the issue at Tuesday's Pentagon briefing.
Following the House vote, Trump celebrated the outcome in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, saying the impeachment effort had "failed miserably".
He praised Hegseth, citing what he described as US victories in Venezuela and Iran, record military recruitment and unprecedented morale among service members. Trump called the defence secretary a great American patriot who had been cleared of the allegations.
Massie had acknowledged from the outset that his impeachment proposal was unlikely to succeed immediately. He said one of his objectives was to put pressure on Trump to appoint someone else as defence secretary before Democrats could launch their own impeachment proceedings.
The Kentucky lawmaker also argued that removing Hegseth while Republicans still controlled the Senate would give the chamber an opportunity to confirm a replacement.
Although the current effort has been stalled, the end of a congressional session does not necessarily prevent lawmakers from introducing a new impeachment resolution in a subsequent session. Democrats could therefore revive the initiative after taking control of Congress in January.
Despite surviving the latest impeachment push, Hegseth's political position remains a subject of discussion in Washington. Some lawmakers, including members of his own party, have raised questions about his future in the administration.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz said on Tuesday that he believed Hegseth would either resign voluntarily or be removed by Trump.
Massie has been a vocal critic of Trump's policies and the military campaign against Iran since the conflict began in February. He also lost his re-election bid this year to a candidate backed by Trump.
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