House votes 211-204 to send Hegseth impeachment articles to committee

The U.S. House on Tuesday voted 211-204 to refer articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to a committee, a move that effectively halts the effort for the rest of the current Congress, according to the Florida Phoenix and other States Newsroom outlets that published the same report.

The vote fell largely along party lines, the Florida Phoenix reported. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote. The current Congress ends in January.

Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving office, introduced the articles on Monday. According to NC Newsline, they allege that Hegseth waged an unlawful war against Iran, ordered extrajudicial killings and disregarded laws meant to limit civilian casualties, among other accusations. Massie, who has frequently been at odds with President Donald Trump, lost his May primary to a challenger backed by Trump, the outlet reported.

Hours before the vote, Hegseth held a news conference at the Pentagon in which he rejected the idea that he had committed impeachable offenses and portrayed the effort as an attack on service members, West Virginia Watch reported. He described Massie as a "disgruntled and defeated congressman" and compared his situation to Trump's two impeachments during his first term.

"It's a farce and it's a stunt and everybody knows it," Hegseth said, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said earlier Tuesday that Hegseth should face a Senate trial if impeached, the outlets reported. Schumer accused Hegseth of using the troops as cover, saying Democrats had worked for months to bring service members home.

Trump has continued to back Hegseth. According to the Florida Phoenix, the president has praised him repeatedly in the past two weeks, citing a reduction in what Trump called "woke" four-star generals and the conduct of what he referred to as the war with Venezuela. In a Monday social media post, Trump urged Congress to support Hegseth.

Hegseth, 46, is a former Fox News personality who was narrowly confirmed by the Senate last year, the outlets reported. During his tenure he has renamed the Department of Defense the "Department of War," removed a number of senior officers and sought to restrict critical news organizations' access to the Pentagon, according to NC Newsline.

Opponents could pursue impeachment again when the new Congress convenes in January, when Democrats will hold a large House majority, the outlets reported. Schumer is expected to become Senate majority leader when Democrats take control of that chamber.

Compiled by True News from reporting by Florida Phoenix, NC Newsline, West Virginia Watch and Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/972