GOP Defends Hegseth as House Votes Fail While Critics Label Party ‘Sinking Ship’
House Republicans block the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. See the vote-count breakdown and the Democratic absences that stalled the move.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — House Republicans successfully thwarted an attempt to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, rejecting claims that he committed constitutional violations during his management of global conflicts and the Iran war.
The chamber turned on a motion to refer the eight articles of impeachment authored by Thomas Massie to committee, the measure passing with a narrow margin of 211 to 204.
Following the announcement, the Pentagon characterized the outcome as a ‘total victory,’ while Donald Trump praised the decision, calling it an ‘EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot.’
The failure of the impeachment effort was largely attributed to absences among Democrats. If only eight of the eleven missing lawmakers had cast their votes, the motion would have resulted in moving the articles forward.
Nancy Pelosi was among those who did not participate. Other absent Democrats included Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Laura Gillen, Steven Horsford, and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Stevens of Michigan, Marilyn Strickland of Washington, and Frederica Wilson of Florida.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
