The House voted 211-204 to send eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, delaying an immediate vote by the full chamber. (Foto: Instagram)
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday, Nov. 10, to block an immediate floor vote on the impeachment case against Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s secretary of war and head of the Pentagon. The measure passed 211-204 and sends eight articles of impeachment introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie to the House Judiciary Committee, which Republicans control. The decision does not resolve the allegations; it shifts their review to the committee and prevents a full House vote for now.
Because Republicans hold a majority on the committee, the party will control the review and could prevent the case from advancing. The proposal could remain stalled there until the current congressional term ends in January 2027. Massie introduced the impeachment request on Monday, Nov. 9. His eight allegations largely concern military operations he says were conducted without congressional authorization and possible violations of the U.S. Constitution.
The accusations include beginning military operations against Iran without Congress’s approval, continuing them after the House and Senate passed a resolution calling for troops to be withdrawn, and extending the operations beyond a 60-day limit established by law. Massie also alleges that Hegseth weakened measures to prevent and investigate civilian deaths resulting from military operations. These claims are part of the impeachment filing and have not been established as findings by the House.
Other allegations concern attacks on boats suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. According to the filing, those attacks resulted in extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers. Massie also accuses Hegseth of pressuring and intimidating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly after Kelly said service members could refuse to follow illegal orders. The remaining claims concern authorizing an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional approval and conducting military operations in Yemen without lawmakers’ authorization.
Before the vote, Hegseth rejected the impeachment effort, calling it a “sham” and a “political spectacle.” He described it as a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment, saying it was designed to harm Trump, the country and, as he put it, the service members defending it. He also called the effort a political stunt and said everyone knew it was one.
Trump welcomed the House decision and said the Democrats’ attempt had “failed miserably.” The vote sent Massie’s eight articles to a committee rather than putting the allegations before the full House. The committee’s Republican majority now has control over whether the request moves forward, and it may remain there through the end of the current congressional term.
