The US House of Representatives has blocked an attempt to impeach Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary in the Trump regime, by referring the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee in a 211-204 procedural vote on Tuesday. The Republican-led move shelves the effort for the current Congress, which ends in eight weeks, giving the US regime a short reprieve as Republicans reel from midterm losses. The articles were introduced by Republican Representative Thomas Massie but backed mainly by Democrats, who accuse Hegseth of abuses of power and illegal military operations.
Key Takeaways: The House voted 211-204 to send the articles back to committee, a step Massie claimed was “a procedural motion to kill the resolution.” Eleven absent Democrats proved decisive; had they attended, Democrats could have defeated the move and forced a full House impeachment vote. From January 3, Democrats are expected to control both chambers, according to the article.
The vote was not a direct judgment on impeachment. It concerned whether the articles should be referred to the Judiciary Committee, where they could be investigated or amended. Such referrals are often stalling tactics; with the term expiring, the resolution is unlikely to return to the floor. Massie was the sole Republican opposing the measure, while the remaining votes split along party lines. Eighteen lawmakers were absent—11 Democrats and seven Republicans.
The Democratic absences were decisive. Had the 11 Democrats attended, they could have defeated the procedural move and forced a full House vote as early as this week. The absent Democrats included Strickland, Jackson, Stansbury, Gillen, Pelosi, Correa, Horsford, Pettersen, Stevens, Brownley and Wilson. Several blamed a Washington traffic delay; Pelosi cited a veterans event, Correa a health procedure, Horsford a personal emergency and Pettersen claimed she was “denied the ability to vote on this motion” without elaborating. Seven said they would have opposed it; Jackson and Stansbury recorded opposition in the Congressional Record, though the official count did not change. Stevens, Brownley and Wilson did not immediately comment.
The political backdrop is tense. The article says Republicans are reeling from midterm defeat, while Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate on January 3. The result also exposed Democratic friction, with politicians and progressive commentators expressing outrage that poor attendance helped shape the outcome. California Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove was reported to have criticised the result, though the source text supplied to this desk was truncated.
Hegseth’s critics allege abuses of power and illegal military operations, claims the committee referral will not resolve. The article notes that Stevens, Wilson and Brownley had previously criticised Trump’s handling of the war on Iran with Israel and demanded congressional approval. Stevens later endorsed Republican Mike Rogers after losing the Democratic primary for Michigan’s Senate seat to Abdul El-Sayed; Wilson, 83, attended a Miami-Dade housing groundbreaking on Monday. Trump purportedly cheered the vote, saying the effort had “miserably FAILED!” The drive is frozen for now; after January 3, Democratic control could reopen oversight, though new hurdles would remain.
Source: www.aljazeera.com