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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth narrowly avoided an impeachment threat in Congress after House Republicans banded together to shelve the resolution against him. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for TODAY. Nov. 11, 2026
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Watch: Republicans vote to block Hegseth impeachment from reaching full vote
An effort to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of waging war on Iran without congressional authorisation, has failed on Capitol Hill.
A majority of the House of Representatives voted to refer impeachment articles to a committee - essentially killing the effort introduced by dissident Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
During an earlier briefing, Hegseth called the impeachment effort a "farce" and "sabotage".
The bid to find the cabinet secretary guilty of misconduct and ultimately remove him from office was seen as a long shot as it could have required a number of other Republicans to defy President Donald Trump.
That calculation might change in January, when the opposition Democratic Party assumes control of both chambers of Congress, following its successes in the US midterm elections. For now, Trump's Republican Party remains in control.
After Tuesday's vote, the most senior Democrat in the House, Hakeem Jeffries, said: "This is not the end of it. It's just the beginning."
The question on which lawmakers were voting on Tuesday was whether or not to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, which is led by Republicans. The alternative would have been to allow the resolution to proceed in the House itself.
All Republicans other than Massie voted to refer the resolution to the committee, meaning that the congressman's effort failed in a 211-204 vote.
The move to send the measure to the panel effectively kills the effort, as there is only a short period of time left in this Congress.
More than a dozen members missed the ballot. They included 11 Democrats, several of whom blamed traffic issues for their absences.
Several members of the party criticised their fellow lawmakers for missing the vote.
"You should show up and do your job," said Democratic Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed during an interview with CNN, making a direct address to those who did not vote. The Michigan lawmaker recently won a US Senate race in Michigan, having criticised US ties to Israel and the war in Iran on the campaign trail.
Analysis: Hegseth fights for his political life with appeal to Trump
Meanwhile Trump celebrated Tuesday's outcome in a post on Truth Social, saying the effort "has miserably FAILED".
"Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot," Trump said, referring to Hegseth.
After the vote, Massie said he "wasn't surprised" but "was disappointed", according to BBC's US media partner CBS.
"My diagnosis of Congress is these people know what to do," he added. "They just can't bring themselves to do it, even when it would benefit them politically."
Massie had previously acknowledged his impeachment bid may not succeed immediately, but argued it could help push Trump to replace Hegseth before Democrats can launch their own impeachment process.
Hegseth: Impeachment effort is "farce" and "stunt"
The Kentucky congressman also said that removing Hegseth now would give the Senate time to approve a replacement while Republicans were still in power.
Impeachment resolutions can be carried past the end of a congressional term, meaning Democrats would be able to take it up next year.
The Democrats will take control of both chambers of Congress in January following a successful midterm election that allowed them control of both chambers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, had predicted earlier in the day that the impeachment bid would fail.
In the eight articles of impeachment formally introduced in the House on Monday, Massie said Hegseth was "breaking the law and must be held accountable" for fighting a war in Iran for more than 90 days without lawmakers' approval.
The impeachment articles also accused Hegseth of overseeing "extrajudicial killings" in the US campaign against boats alleged to be carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Hegseth called efforts to impeach him a political stunt by a Trump administration opponent who was "disgruntled and defeated".
Hegseth also argued Massie's resolution endangered national security, because it communicated to US adversaries "that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations".
"This is not patriotism. This is sabotage," he said.
He echoed some statements Trump had made during a surprise appearance at the White House briefing room on Monday, including touting a rise in military recruitment levels.
But Hegseth said Massie was motivated by policy differences and "not high crimes, not misdemeanours, not treason, not bribery, not the kinds of offences the founders intended when they wrote the impeachment clause".
Massie, who lost re-election earlier this year to a Trump-backed opponent, has been critical of Trump and the war in Iran since it began in February.
He had already incurred the president's ire for demanding the Trump administration release files on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
While Hegseth has survived politically for now, many lawmakers - including some Republicans - have questioned how long he can last in the administration.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, said on Tuesday he expected Hegseth to resign or be fired by Trump.
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House Republican leaders and White House officials joined forces on Tuesday night to block an impeachment attempt against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, giving President Donald Trump a political win at a time when his party is dealing with disappointing midterm election results. The move came after Republican Representative Thomas Massie pushed for Hegseth's removal, setting up a clash within the party.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by editors
The impeachment resolution was blocked in a 211-204 vote. Lawmakers voted to send the proposal to a committee instead of allowing it to come up for debate or a direct vote in the House. According to CNN, Republican leaders worked with senior White House officials to convince lawmakers to oppose the impeachment effort.
Massie's resolution listed eight grounds for impeaching Hegseth. He accused the US Secretary of War of violating the Constitution and the War Powers Act by ordering military strikes against Iran and Yemen without getting approval from Congress. It also questioned Hegseth's alleged role in overseeing the military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
While the vote has put the immediate impeachment effort on hold, it may not be the end of the matter. Democrats are expected to take control of both the House and Senate in January, which could give them another opportunity to pursue action against Hegseth.
President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome and wasted little time in criticising those behind the impeachment effort. In a post on Truth Social shortly after the vote, he described the attempt as a "miserable failure" and praised Republicans for standing by Hegseth.
Trump also singled out Thomas Massie, the Republican lawmaker who introduced the resolution and went against his party's position.
"The Democrats' attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete," Trump wrote.
Defending Hegseth's performance at the Pentagon, Trump pointed to military operations involving Venezuela and Iran, as well as what he described as record recruitment figures for the US armed forces. He also praised the morale among military personnel.
"Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!), and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot," Trump said.
Trump ended his post by accusing Democrats of using political power against his administration and called for an end to what he described as the misuse of congressional authority.
"The Democrats continue to weaponize and abuse the United States of America. They must be stopped! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN," he added.
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The Republican-led House narrowly rejected a push to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over how he has carried out the war in Iran and other military hostilities in Yemen, Venezuela and the Caribbean. NBC News' Sahil Kapur and Courtney Kube discuss the tactic the GOP used to send the motion to the House Judiciary Committee and how Hegseth disputed the impeachment articles.
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Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethdug in for a fight Tuesday against his potentialimpeachmentin Congress, telling reporters that a rogue lawmaker is targeting him over policy disagreements and not the high crimes or offenses the nations founders intended.
The embattledPentagonchief spoke at his first press briefing from the five-sided building in six months, launching a counteroffensive against outgoing Rep. Thomas Massies effort to impeach him over hishandling of the unpopular war against Iranand other actions.
In the 250 years of our American republic, no Secretary of War or Secretary of Defense has ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations, Hegseth told reporters.
The briefing was Hegseths first since May even as the U.S. military has kept up intermittent operations against Iran as well as fatal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in Latin America.
Read moreDemocrats warn Trump camp to lawyer up as anger over corruption drives midterms wipeout
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who lost his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, filed the impeachment resolution in the House on Monday. It sets the stage for a dramatic vote on whether to remove a prominent Trump administration figure following sweeping losses for Republicans in last week's midterm elections that many at least partly blamed on the Iran conflict and its economic impact.
The resolution largely focuses on the war in Iran but also includes references to Hegseths role in military actions in Yemen against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela. Massie said Hegseths actions amount to high crimes and misdemeanors and his leadership at the Pentagon warrants impeachment.
A vote in the House could come by midweek, putting pressure on Republicans many of whom blamed their election wipeout on the Iran war but next steps are highly uncertain.
Trump has backed Hegseth, pointing to the raid to capture then-Venezuelan President Nicols Maduro in January as well as military operations against Iran that he asserts have obliterated its navy and air force.
Watch morePentagons Hegseth says 20 percent of US generals, admirals cut, no fatties, no trannies
Iran, however, has been able to keep striking U.S. military bases in the Middle East and has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz during the course of the more than 8-month-old conflict, driving up global oil prices. Trump told reporters Monday that the Iran war militarily is effectively over" and repeated his often-made claim that Iran would love to make a deal.
Hegseth also has been defending his stewardship of the U.S. military.
Theres a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success, he told reporters Monday after a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. He added that if we want to litigate the military actions that the Trump administration has taken, Im happy to do it all day long.
He also released a video on social media last week that argued impeachment would be all about the politics of personal destruction and that wont work with me. You can rest assured of that.
Read moreLt. Gen. Ben Hodges accuses Hegseth of 'getting rid of people who may have the courage to push back'
Afterward, scores of Pentagon political appointees posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words, Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.
Sean Parnell, the Pentagons top spokesman, released a statement saying that despite threats of sham witch hunts from Democrats, Hegseth is 100% committed to leading the Department until the end of President Trumps term in office.
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