US House blocks bid to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

An attempt to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for allegedly waging war on Iran without congressional authorization was thwarted in the US House of Representatives. A majority of the House voted to defer the impeachment articles to a committee, effectively ending the effort introduced by Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

During his first press briefing at the Pentagon in six months, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment bid as a "farce" and "sabotage." The effort seemed highly unlikely to succeed, as it would have necessitated other Republicans to oppose President Donald Trump. However, this could change in January when the Democratic Party assumes control of both chambers of Congress, following their victories in the US midterm elections.

Despite this, the most senior Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, emphasized that the struggle was far from over. The vote on Tuesday concerned whether to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which is led by Republicans, or to proceed within the House itself. All Republicans, except Massie, opted to send the resolution to the committee, causing the effort to fail in a 211-204 vote.

The decision to send the measure to the panel effectively ended the effort, as there was little time left in the current Congress. More than a dozen members failed to vote, including 11 Democrats, many of whom cited traffic issues.