US House blocks bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

An attempt to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, based on allegations that he engaged in conflict with Iran without authorisation from Congress, has been unsuccessful on Capitol Hill. A majority of the House of Representatives voted to send the impeachment articles to a committee, which effectively stalls the initiative introduced by dissident Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky for the time being.

During his first Pentagon news briefing in six months, Pete Hegseth described the impeachment move as a "farce" and "sabotage". The effort to find the cabinet secretary guilty of misconduct and remove him from his post was viewed as a long shot, as it would have necessitated that a number of other Republicans defy President Donald Trump. However, this situation may shift in January when the Democratic Party takes control of both chambers of Congress following midterm election successes. Currently, President Trump's Republican Party maintains control.

Following the vote on Tuesday, Hakeem Jeffries, the most senior Democrat in the House, remarked: "This is not the end of it. It's just the beginning." Lawmakers were voting on whether to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which is led by Republicans, or to allow it to proceed in the House itself. All Republicans except for Thomas Massie voted to refer the resolution to the committee, resulting in a 211-204 vote that caused the congressman's effort to fail.

Sending the measure to the panel effectively ends the effort because there is only a short amount of time remaining in this Congress. More than a dozen members were absent for the ballot, including 11 Democrats, some of whom cited traffic issues for missing the vote. Several members of the party criticised their colleagues for being absent. Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, who recently won a US Senate race in Michigan, stated during an interview: "You should show up and do your job."