WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives voted against advancing a procedural motion regarding a resolution to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Nov. 10.
The House voted 211–204 against advancing the impeachment resolution on Nov. 10. Following the vote, the impeachment resolution will be sent to committee.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in the House on Nov. 9, accusing the war secretary of committing “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
To impeach Hegseth, a simple majority vote would be needed in the House. However, a two-thirds majority vote in the U.S. Senate would be needed to convict him.
Massie previously introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced an early recess for the chamber the following day, which prevented a vote on the articles.
The Nov. 9 impeachment articles charge Hegseth with waging war in Iran without congressional authorization, continuing the war after the House and Senate both directed the removal of U.S. forces, and continuing operations in Iran after the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day termination period and any potential 30-day withdrawal period had expired.
“Operation Epic Fury has been underway for 256 days. Congress has not authorized it,” Massie wrote on X on Nov. 10. “Hegseth is breaking the law. Not even debatable.”
Massie also accused Hegseth of carrying out extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers, which he said resulted in at least 243 deaths; ignoring laws intended to minimize civilian casualties; and kidnapping Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The articles also charge Hegseth over Operation Rough Rider, the U.S. military’s bombing campaign targeting the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group, without congressional authorization or an imminent threat, and they charge him with suppressing free speech by retaliating against comments made by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
Before the procedural vote, Massie said in a statement on X that he had heard from multiple congressional members who agreed with some of his impeachment articles but not all of them. He said that he would request a vote on each of the articles separately if the motion to refer his impeachment resolution to committee failed and the House proceeded to vote directly on the articles.
Lawmakers Weigh In on Impeachment Effort
The effort to impeach Hegseth has received support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
During a Nov. 9 press conference, Jeffries accused Hegseth of abusing his power, undermining national security, and being the “architect” of the Iran war.
Schumer said in remarks from the Senate floor on Nov. 10, “The Senate needs to put Hegseth on trial and remove him from the Pentagon for his management of this disastrous illegal war.”
Meanwhile, Johnson warned that impeaching the secretary of war in the middle of foreign hostilities would not be good for U.S. allies and enemies to witness.
Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) called the impeachment effort on Nov. 10 “a fool’s errand.”
In addition, Rep. Michael Guest (R-Miss.) told reporters that due process needs to be followed.
“We just have arguments. We’ve not had hearings before Congress and any of the committees,” he said.
Asked about the impeachment effort, Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) told reporters on Nov. 10 that the issue was not a priority because Congress already has enough to do.
“Why are we doing that? Pete Hegseth is a good guy, and he’s probably trying the best he can, and to blame the Iranian war on him or whatever, come on,” he said.
Just hours before the House vote, Hegseth held his first press conference in six months, during which he dismissed the impeachment effort as a political stunt and warned that it would give U.S. adversaries a “propaganda victory.”
Historical Precedent
During the Nov. 10 press conference, Hegseth said no secretary of war or secretary of defense has ever been impeached in the United States for carrying out “lawful military operations.”
“The history is clear, and it’s very straightforward. And one disgruntled congressman wants to shred it over policy disagreements,” Hegseth said.
“That’s what it is: policy disagreements. Not high crimes. Not misdemeanors. Not treason. Not bribery. Not the kinds of offenses the Founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause.”
If Hegseth were impeached in the House and convicted in the Senate, he would be the first U.S. Cabinet secretary to be both impeached and convicted. President Ulysses S. Grant’s secretary of war, William Worth Belknap, was impeached by the House in 1876 after resigning over a corruption scandal but was acquitted in the Senate.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the House in 2024 over his handling of the U.S.–Mexico border during the Biden administration. The Senate later voted to dismiss the charges before a trial could take place.
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