The House of Representatives virtually blocked a vote on the 10th (local time) to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who was accused of waging a war on Iran without approval from the U.S. Congress.
As a result of the vote, more than half of the lawmakers agreed to refer the impeachment bill to the standing committee instead of voting on it directly.
As a result, the impeachment led by Representative Thomas Massey (Kentucky), who had an independent voice within the Republican Party, was canceled for the time being.
Secretary Hegseth held a press conference at the Pentagon (Department of Defense) for the first time in six months and called the impeachment push against him a “farce” and “deliberate sabotage.”
Attempts to ultimately dismiss Minister Hegseth by holding him accountable for his misconduct have been evaluated as unlikely to succeed from the beginning. This is because in order to succeed, several Republican lawmakers must rebel against President Trump.
In fact, Rep. Massey was the only Republican member of parliament who voted against the motion to submit the impeachment bill to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on the 10th.
The bill was passed with 211 votes in favor and 204 against, and about a dozen lawmakers, including 11 Democratic Party members, did not participate in the vote.
If the impeachment bill is referred to the Judiciary Committee, the impeachment attempt is evaluated as a virtual failure, as there is not much time left in the term of office of the current Congress before the Democratic Party takes control of Congress in January of next year.
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Meanwhile, President Trump welcomed the result of this vote through his social media 'Truth Social' and said that the impeachment attempt "failed miserably."
He then said of Minister Hegseth, "The victories in Venezuela and Iran, the best recruiting performance in U.S. military history (there was a long waiting list to enlist!), and unprecedentedly high (military) morale all combined to lead to the acquittal of a great patriot."
Rep. Massey also previously acknowledged that this impeachment attempt may immediately fail. However, it was explained that it was a move to pressure President Trump to replace Secretary Hegseth before the Democratic Party proceeded with its own impeachment.
In addition, Massey argued that ousting Secretary Hegseth now would give the Senate time to approve a replacement while the Republican Party is still in control.
The impeachment resolution can be carried over even after the term of office of the Congress ends. Therefore, the Democratic Party may address this again next year.
The Democratic Party recently won the midterm elections, rising to a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and will take control of both houses from January next year.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted the impeachment attempt would fail earlier today.
In a motion officially submitted to the House of Representatives on the 9th, Rep. Massey presented eight grounds for impeachment and argued that he "violated the law and must be held accountable" for starting the war on Iran without congressional approval.
It also pointed out that Secretary Hegseth orchestrated "extrajudicial killings" during U.S. operations targeting suspected drug carriers in the Pacific and Caribbean.
Meanwhile, at a press conference held on the day of the vote (the 10th), Minister Hegseth dismissed the impeachment attempt against him as a political show staged by “dissatisfied and defeated” opponents of the Trump administration.
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Secretary Hegseth also criticized the resolution, saying it threatens national security because it sends a message to America's enemies that "the United States may actually punish its own military and civilian leadership for successfully carrying out lawful military operations."
“This is not patriotism, but deliberate sabotage,” he said.
On this day, Minister Hegseth repeated several remarks that President Trump made when he appeared unannounced in the White House briefing room on the 9th, including the increase in the number of enlisted men.
At the same time, he emphasized that Rep. Massey's motive for impeachment was nothing more than policy differences and that "it was not a high crime, a misdemeanor, treason, bribery, or the type of crime that the founding fathers had in mind when they drafted the articles of impeachment."
Rep. Massey failed to run for re-election earlier this year after being pushed out by an opponent supported by Trump, and has been criticizing President Trump and the war with Iran since it began in February. In the past, he infuriated the president by pressuring the Trump administration by demanding documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, with this vote, Secretary Hegseth has extended his political lifeline, but many lawmakers, including some Republicans, are questioning how much longer he can last in the administration.
On the 10th, Republican Senator Ted Cruz (Texas) predicted that Secretary Hegseth would voluntarily resign or be dismissed by President Trump.
