US House blocks bid to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, for now
An effort by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth for waging war in Iran without congressional authorisation has failed on Capitol Hill. A majority of the House of Representatives voted to refer the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee, effectively stalling the effort for now. In his first Pentagon briefing in six months, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment bid as a "farce" and "sabotage". President Donald Trump celebrated the defeat of the measure on Truth Social, labelling Massie a "major LOSER" and praising Hegseth as a "Great American Patriot". Massie was the only Republican to vote against referring the resolution to the committee. While the move effectively kills the effort for the current term, Democrats, who will take control of both chambers of Congress in January, could potentially revisit the process. Hegseth also denied accusations regarding "extrajudicial killings" in maritime operations, arguing that the impeachment bid was a political stunt that undermined national security.