US House Blocks Pete Hegseth Impeachment Bid, Giving Trump’s Defence Chief A Win

The US House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 10, blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, voting 211-204 to refer eight articles of impeachment against him to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee instead of allowing a vote on the charges. Of those voting, 210 Republicans and one independent supported the referral, while 203 Democrats and one Republican, Thomas Massie, voted against it. The procedural move effectively ends the effort in the current Congress, with Democrats set to take control of both chambers in January.

The articles, introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie and backed by Democratic lawmakers, accused Hegseth of misconduct in overseeing US military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen. They also alleged that he had violated laws protecting civilians during military operations and retaliated against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly for criticising the administration’s military policies.

The vote was not on whether Hegseth should be impeached. By sending the articles to the Judiciary Committee, Republicans prevented them from reaching a full House vote. Eleven Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, did not vote.

Pete Hegseth Calls Impeachment Effort ‘Sabotage’

Responding to the move, Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort as a political attack and accused its supporters of undermining the US military.

“This is not patriotism; this is sabotage,” Hegseth said during his first Pentagon briefing in six months.

He also rejected the allegations against him, saying the articles were based on disagreements over policy rather than impeachable conduct.

“These are policy disagreements — not high crimes, not misdemeanours, not treason, not bribery,” he said.

Hegseth defended the military operations cited in the articles, saying they had been lawful and authorised by President Donald Trump. “As for the articles themselves — Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen — every one was a lawful operation ordered by the Commander-in-Chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress,” he said.

The Pentagon chief also accused Democrats of attempting to weaken the military through the impeachment push. He had earlier described the effort as a political spectacle and said it would fail.

Trump backed Hegseth following the vote, declaring on Truth Social that the impeachment effort had “miserably FAILED!” He also praised the Pentagon chief’s performance, saying it had led to the “EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot.” However, the House vote did not constitute an examination of the allegations or a finding on Hegseth's conduct.

Vice President JD Vance also defended Hegseth, questioning the basis for the impeachment effort. “Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes? The question is absurd and the answer is: obviously not,” Vance said.

“This isn't about Iran, this is about the fact that Pete took on the bureaucracy at the Pentagon,” he added.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called the impeachment effort a political gambit and argued that pursuing it during an international conflict sent the wrong message to US allies and adversaries.

Eight Impeachment Charges Against Hegseth: Iran, Venezuela And Yemen

The eight articles laid out allegations of unlawful military action, violations of civilian-protection laws and retaliation against a US senator. They covered Hegseth's role in military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen.

Four articles concerned the US war in Iran. Three accused Hegseth of unlawfully directing and continuing military operations without congressional authorisation. They alleged that he initiated hostilities without a declaration of war, continued operations despite a congressional measure calling for an end to the conflict, and kept US forces engaged beyond the 60-day limit and the additional 30-day withdrawal period under the War Powers Resolution. The Trump administration disputed the allegation that it had violated the 60-day deadline, arguing that hostilities with Iran had ended and that the ceasefire had paused the statutory clock.

The fourth alleged that he had disregarded laws requiring the US military to minimise civilian casualties. It cited the February 28 strike on a girls' school in Minab, Iran, which Iranian media reported had killed around 170 people, most of them children. The US has not directly accepted responsibility for the attack. The article also accused Hegseth of weakening Pentagon safeguards and infrastructure intended to reduce civilian harm.

One article accused Hegseth of directing the operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were taken into US custody in January 2026. Another accused him of authorising extrajudicial lethal strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The resolution alleged that these strikes had killed at least 243 people since September 2025.

Another article concerned Operation Rough Rider, the 2025 US-British military campaign against Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen. The resolution accused Hegseth of directing and executing more than 1,100 military strikes between March and May 2025 without congressional authorisation.

Another article accused Hegseth of retaliating against Senator Mark Kelly, a former Navy pilot, after Kelly and five other Democratic lawmakers urged US service members to refuse illegal orders. The resolution alleged that Hegseth sought to prosecute and demote Kelly in response. A federal judge subsequently blocked the administration's attempt to reduce Kelly's retired Navy rank.

Hegseth rejected the allegations, maintaining that the operations were lawful and had been authorised by the administration.

Democrats Could Revive Hegseth Impeachment Push In January

The referral effectively shelves the impeachment effort for the remainder of the current Congress. Republicans retain control of the House and Senate until January 3, 2027, when Democrats are set to take control of both chambers following the midterm elections.

However, the House vote did not amount to a finding on the allegations against Hegseth. Even if the House had approved the articles, impeachment would not have automatically removed him from office. The Senate would have had to hold a trial, with a two-thirds majority of senators present required to convict and remove him.

Any fresh impeachment effort in the next Congress would also require a lawmaker to introduce new articles. Massie, who lost his Republican primary and will leave Congress in January, has said he will not introduce another impeachment resolution against Hegseth.

Jeffries indicated that the effort could be revived, saying: "This is not the end of it. It's just the beginning."

The vote comes amid public dissatisfaction with the administration’s handling of the Iran war. The Iran war, its disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and rising fuel prices have become major political issues. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 71% of US adults wanted Congress to pass legislation ending the Iran war, putting pressure on the incoming Democratic-led Congress to act on the conflict.