The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives has blocked an attempt to impeach US War Secretary Pete Hegseth over his handling of the conflict with Iran and other military operations, effectively shelving the initiative until the next Congress takes office.
Outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie reintroduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this week, following the Democrats’ victory in the November 3 midterm elections, which gave them control of both chambers of Congress beginning in January.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans hold a majority. The party will retain control of both chambers until the end of the year, making it highly unlikely that the impeachment measure will advance before the current congressional term expires.
Massie has accused Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution by waging war against Iran without congressional authorization and failing to minimize civilian casualties during US strikes. The conflict, triggered by a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, has been “unlawful from its inception,” the congressman said.
He also denounced the 2025 US strikes on Yemen and the January abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as illegal, while accusing Hegseth of ordering extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Pentagon chief’s military operations have drawn fierce criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.
Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort as a “farce” and a “political spectacle” during a Pentagon press conference on Tuesday. He rejected the accusations and defended the military operations, saying: “I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.”
Massie first introduced the impeachment articles in September, but the initiative stalled after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the chamber’s remaining votes ahead of the midterms. The congressman warned on Monday that his renewed impeachment effort was a “much gentler version” of what could follow when Democrats take control of Congress.
The Democrats’ victory in the November 3 midterms has been widely seen as a rebuke of US President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly the unpopular Iran war, which has sent energy prices soaring by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil and LNG route. The party will gain the power to investigate Hegseth when it takes control of Congress in January.
Trump has fiercely defended Hegseth, branding Massie a “total loser” and praising the Pentagon chief as “perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the country.” On Monday, he reaffirmed his support, telling reporters: “I’ll stand by him.” Following Hegseth’s press conference on Tuesday, Trump gave his performance an “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS.”
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