House Republicans voted Tuesday evening to block an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, shielding a top Trump administration official from a politically embarrassing rebuke.
The vote marks a victory for Hegseth, the Trump administration and Republican leaders, who were bracing for the prospect of a rebellion within their own ranks.
- But the reprieve is probably short-lived: Democrats are all but guaranteed to force the issue again when they retake majoriti
- The vote to refer the impeachment measure back to committee passed 211-204, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the measure’s sponsor, the lone GOP “no” vote.
- Massie forced a procedural vote on his resolution to impeach Hegseth, alleging he has defied Congress and illegally continued the U.S. war in Iran.
- The Trump administration has been vehemently defending Hegseth, including through a statement opposing the impeachment effort issued shortly before the vote.
- “Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes? The question is absurd and the answer is: obviously not,” Vance said Tuesday on X.
- “Like so much of Congress, impeachment has become a ridiculous show that stands in for actual policymaking. Congress has so many tools for registering its policy disagreements,” Vance added.
- Axios’ Marc Caputo and Alex Isenstadt previously reported that Hegseth is on “thin ice” with Trump officials.
- Republican leaders protected their members from having to go on record on the politically difficult issue before Election Day after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent lawmakers home early to campaign.
- What’s next: Tuesday’s vote effectively kills any effort to impeach Hegseth this Congress.
- AXIOS
