Hegseth Survives Impeachment Attempt

Pete Hegseth, the self-proclaimed Secretary of War, narrowly escaped impeachment on Tuesday night following a procedural vote. Republican members rallied to block charges introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., which accused him of "high crimes and misdemeanors." Despite overwhelming Democrat support, the House voted 211 to 204 to refer the charges to a committee, which was insufficient to achieve full impeachment.

The Republican victory enabled Hegseth to avoid a more contentious vote on whether to impeach him on eight different charges, including waging wars without Congressional authorization and undermining efforts to prevent civilian casualties. Massie dismissed the impact of Democratic absences from the vote, stating "no, there were enough Republicans to rally."

Hegseth attempted to defend himself, claiming the impeachment effort was a "stunt by one disgruntled congressman," a claim later proven false as 203 members of Congress sided with Massie. Civil society organizations, including Oxfam America and Demand Progress, called for House members to vote for every article of impeachment against Hegseth, alleging that his actions have harmed the nation and Constitution.

The House has only previously impeached two Cabinet secretaries, both of whom were not convicted by the Senate. Democratic representatives were notably absent from the vote, while Republican members such as Neal Dunn and Tom Tiffany also missed the proceedings. Following the vote, Massie criticized the inaction of his Republican colleagues, stating that they "diagnosed why they lost the election" but were "paralyzed" to take action.

Congressional committees, including the House Armed Services Committee, will have broad investigative powers, potentially including the authority to subpoena Hegseth and Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg. Incoming Democrats have expressed their intention to hold Hegseth accountable, with Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda calling for his prosecution and emphasizing the atrocities committed under his administration.