US House refers Hegseth impeachment articles to committee, halting bid for now

The US House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to refer articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the House Judiciary Committee, a move that effectively halts the effort for the current Congress. The resolution was introduced by Republican congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, according to BBC reporting cited by Mehr News.

The referral passed by a vote of 211-204. Massie was the only Republican to vote against sending the resolution to the committee, which is led by Republicans. More than a dozen members did not vote, including 11 Democrats. The bid to find the cabinet secretary guilty of misconduct and remove him from office had been viewed as a long shot, as it would likely have required a number of other Republicans to defy President Donald Trump.

Sending the measure to the Judiciary Committee effectively ends the effort, because only a short period remains in this Congress before Democrats take control in January. The committee process would not have time to advance the articles before the change in majority.

According to Mehr News, citing BBC, the vote underscores the limited support within the Republican conference for pursuing impeachment against a cabinet secretary in the Trump administration. The report added that Massie's effort failed in the 211-204 vote, with the missing votes including 11 Democrats.