US House of Representatives Voted Against Impeachment Attempt of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
An attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was accused of waging war against Iran without Congressional authorization, has failed.
The majority of members of the House of Representatives voted to refer the articles of impeachment to a specialized committee. Essentially, this means the cessation of the initiative, launched by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky, writes the BBC.
At his first briefing at the Pentagon in six months, Hegseth called the impeachment attempt a "farce" and a "diversion".
The attempt to find the head of the defense department guilty of official misconduct and secure his removal from office originally had very little chance of success, as it would have required a number of other Republicans to go against President Donald Trump.
Thomas Massie's initiative was rejected by 211 votes to 204; with more than ten lawmakers, including 11 Democrats, not participating in the vote.
Referring the document to the committee effectively nullifies all efforts, as very little time remains until the end of the current Congress's term, and in January, control of the House of Representatives will pass to the Democrats.
President Trump commented on the voting results on the Truth Social network, stating that the attempt "failed miserably".
"Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the best army recruitment figures in its entire history (huge queues of volunteers wishing to join the armed forces!) and incredible, rarely seen before, morale — all this led to the complete vindication of a great American patriot," — wrote Trump, referring to Hegseth.
After the vote, Massie admitted he was "not surprised," but "disappointed."
"My diagnosis for Congress is this: these people know perfectly well what needs to be done," — he added. — "But they simply cannot bring themselves to do it, even if it would bring them political advantage."
Earlier, Massie had admitted that his attempt to initiate impeachment proceedings might not succeed immediately, however, in his opinion, it could push Trump to replace Hegseth — even before Democrats could launch their own impeachment process.
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