The House of Representatives blocks Thomas Massie's attempt to impeach Hegseth over the Iran war and Maduro's capture

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives rejected Republican Representative Thomas Massie's initiative to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, primarily for his handling of the war against Iran. The resolution was blocked by a vote of 211 in favor and 204 against referring it to the Judiciary Committee, a move that, in practice, ended the impeachment attempt.

Massie, who represents the state of Kentucky and has voiced strong disagreements with President Donald Trump's administration, was the only Republican to join all the Democrats in opposing the measure. Although several conservative lawmakers have expressed dissatisfaction with the handling of the conflict in the Middle East, many believe that Hegseth's actions do not warrant impeachment.

The document submitted by Massie accused the Secretary of Defense of abusing his authority by initiating war against Iran without congressional authorization, violating laws designed to reduce civilian casualties, and ordering extrajudicial attacks against vessels in the Caribbean. Similarly, it accused him of orchestrating what it described as a "kidnapping" of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, and retaliating against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly, among other allegations.

The Kentucky congressman announced on Monday that he would not resubmit a resolution to impeach Hegseth. Although Massie will leave Congress in early January, after losing the Republican primary earlier this year, Democrats could still push for new actions against the Pentagon chief, especially once they regain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Politics

Trump lashes out at Thomas Massie for trying to remove Hegseth from office: "He's a very sick guy"

Luis Francisco Orozco

At a press conference on Monday, Massie defended his decision to force a vote on the defense secretary's future and asserted that the debate goes beyond a partisan dispute. "The time for waiting around and being polite and introducing bills and waiting six years to try to get them inside of some other bill, that time is over for me. I am trying to force a vote here on this issue because I think it’s at the heart and soul of our republic: who has the war powers?"

For his part, Hegseth responded Tuesday with harsh criticism of the lawmaker during an unusual media appearance. The secretary of war described the initiative as a personal and political attack on his administration and the Trump administration.

"It’s a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment. Time for one man’s final days in Congress to try to do damage to this president, this country and most irresponsibly, the warriors who defend it," Hegseth said.