Hegseth escapes impeachment — for now
This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Welcome to The Logoff: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has narrowly escaped impeachment — for now. What’s happening? On Tuesday evening, the House voted to refer an impeachment resolution against […]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth narrowly avoided impeachment this week, as a vote in the House referred an impeachment resolution against him to committee, effectively ending the process. The decision split along party lines, with only one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, voting against the referral. The impeachment attempt, led by Massie, stemmed from Hegseth's role as the public face of the unpopular Iran war, which has been ongoing for eight months.
Massie accused Hegseth of multiple violations, including waging war in Iran without proper authority, disregarding laws to minimize civilian casualties, carrying out extrajudicial killings, suppressing free speech, and kidnapping former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Despite the impeachment effort, Hegseth remains in his position, supported by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and White House chief of staff Stephen Miller.
However, he could face additional impeachment attempts in the future, as the incoming Democratic-controlled House may have sufficient votes to pass another resolution. If such an event occurs, Hegseth would become the third Cabinet secretary in history to be impeached, and the second in less than three years.
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