US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has survived an attempt to impeach and remove him from office, but his political future remains uncertain as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress in January.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer impeachment articles against Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively blocking the immediate attempt to proceed with the removal process.
The resolution was introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who accused Hegseth of engaging the United States in military action against Iran without congressional authorisation.
All Republicans apart from Massie supported referring the resolution to the committee, which is controlled by the ruling party.
The vote dealt a setback to Massie’s effort, which sought to hold Hegseth accountable over the US military campaign in Iran and other alleged misconduct.
The eight articles of impeachment also accused the Defence Secretary of overseeing what Massie described as “extrajudicial killings” during US operations against boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Hegseth had strongly rejected the allegations before the vote, describing the impeachment effort as a “farce” and a political stunt.
He argued that the resolution threatened national security by suggesting that US military personnel and civilian officials could be punished for carrying out lawful military operations.
“This is not patriotism. This is sabotage,” he said.
President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome, declaring on Truth Social that the impeachment effort had “miserably FAILED”.
Trump also praised Hegseth, describing him as a patriot and crediting his leadership with improvements in military recruitment.
However, the outcome may not end the controversy surrounding the Defence Secretary.
Democrats are scheduled to assume control of both chambers of Congress in January following their success in the midterm elections, potentially giving them another opportunity to pursue accountability measures against Hegseth.
The party’s most senior House member, Hakeem Jeffries, signalled that Democrats would continue pressing the issue.
“This is not the end of it. It’s just the beginning,” he said after the vote.
Massie, who acknowledged that his resolution was unlikely to succeed under the current Republican majority, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the outcome.
He had argued that removing Hegseth before the end of the current Congress would give the Senate time to confirm a replacement while Republicans still controlled the chamber.
The Kentucky congressman also suggested that his initiative could pressure Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats gain control of Congress.
Massie has been a vocal critic of Trump’s handling of the Iran war since it began in February and has previously clashed with the president over demands for the release of files relating to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Hegseth’s position has also attracted questions from within Republican ranks. Texas Senator Ted Cruz said on Tuesday that he expected the Defence Secretary to resign or be dismissed by Trump.
Although Tuesday’s vote has temporarily halted the impeachment effort, the prospect of renewed congressional scrutiny could keep Hegseth’s leadership under pressure in the coming months.
