House Sends Hegseth Impeachment to Judiciary Committee, 211-204
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The House voted 211-204 on Nov. 10 to refer articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, according to a USA Today opinion column. The move keeps the House from voting directly on the charges for now.
The column reported that seven Republicans and 11 Democrats did not vote. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who wrote the articles, has said Democrats could revive them after they take control in the new year.
How the impeachment push reached this point
- September: TMJ4 News reported that Massie first announced an impeachment effort against Hegseth. He argued that fighting in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization broke the law. He also promised that a Democratic Congress would pursue impeachment if voters elected one.
- Nov. 3: In the midterm elections, Republicans lost control of Congress, according to the USA Today column, which said Democrats will hold majorities starting in January.
- Nov. 9: Massie read new articles of impeachment on the House floor, TMJ4 reported. He said Hegseth abused his powers by continuing the war against Iran and refusing to withdraw. He also said Hegseth disregarded a formal congressional resolution directing the U.S. to pull out of hostilities. Massie said Hegseth would remain "a threat to the Constitution" if he stayed in office.
- Nov. 9: At a press conference, President Donald Trump defended Hegseth, TMJ4 reported. Trump said Hegseth had won the war in two places and asked what Hegseth had done wrong. Later, in a C-SPAN interview, Trump said he would be disappointed if Republicans voted for impeachment.
- Nov. 10: Hegseth held a news briefing at the Pentagon. Hours later, the House voted to send the matter to the Judiciary Committee.
What the eight articles allege
The USA Today column said Massie's eight articles accuse Hegseth of ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties and of extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers. They also accuse him of suppressing free speech, of kidnapping former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and of waging an unlawful war on Houthi rebels in Yemen. TMJ4 separately described the Iran war allegations as the core of the resolution Massie read.
Hegseth and Trump respond
According to the column, Hegseth opened his briefing by calling the effort a "political spectacle" that harms the country and the troops. He described Massie as a lone legislator and said the effort signals that Congress will undermine military missions in real time. The column said he also tied the effort to Veterans Day, saying it tells veterans their service was a crime, and accused the press of hating the president more than it loves the country.
The column's author rejects those claims and argues that the impeachment effort is not an attack on the troops. That is the writer's opinion. The column also notes that other Republicans in Congress share some of Massie's concerns about Hegseth.
Trump responded on social media, according to the column. He gave Hegseth's briefing the highest possible grade and insulted Massie.
Why it matters: what the referral changes
The referral means House members did not have to go on record with an up-or-down vote on impeachment before the current Congress ends. The articles are now in the hands of the Judiciary Committee, and the sources do not report any hearing or schedule.
Who controls the House in January is what matters most. Massie, who the column says will not be in office then, has said Democrats can take up the charges once they hold the majority. How the new Congress handles them will determine whether the questions about the Iran war, which the column says drove the midterm results, are tested in a formal impeachment process.
The sources do not say whether Democratic leaders plan to act on the articles.
Earlier on Around Prague: Hegseth Impeachment Vote: Democrats Need 3 Republicans, Massie Included
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House Republicans Sideline Hegseth Impeachment as Democrats Eye January
Around Prague, based on reporting by USA Today, TMJ4 News
Cover photo: U.S. Secretary of Defense / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
