Pete Hegseth avoided an impeachment decision after the House went into an early pre-midterm recess. The US Secretary of Defense is facing an impeachment vote after a proposal from fellow Republican Thomas Massie. Massie has criticized Hegseth for how he has handled the war between the United States and Iran.
Pete Hegseth’s impeachment decision delayed until midterms
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escaped an impeachment vote on Thursday after Speaker Mike Johnson closed the House early on Wednesday for the pre-midterm recess. This has pushed voting on Republican Thomas Massie’s proposal to impeach Hegseth until the midterm election, according to an NBC News report.
The early adjournment sparked criticism from Massie and Democrats, who accused GOP leaders of trying to save Hegseth before the November elections. Massie wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “And there it is. Just as I predicted. They’re canceling Congress tomorrow to avoid the vote on IMPEACHING @SecWar. It will also make it harder for us to reach 218 signatures on the Epstein Discharge Petition before the election. We were at 190+ signatures last night.”
Speaker Johnson also defended against the backlash and suggested that Massie’s proposal is nothing but a “stunt.” (via The Hill) He further lauded Hegseth in his statement and said that the latter “has done an extraordinary job” in the Department of War.
He asserted that while the country deals with international conflicts, they should not harm national security.
According to a report by The Guardian, in his proposal to impeach Hegseth, Massie stated, “By engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization, Secretary Hegseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable.” He suggested that Hegseth has used his power to commit “constitutional violations” in Iran and has also threatened those who criticize Donald Trump’s administration.
