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In a 211 to 204 vote the House of Representatives voted to table the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), the lone Republican to vote to move forward. Twenty Republicans were not present as were eleven Democrats.
It was Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) who made the motion to refer the 34 page articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, assuring it would not be taken up in the several left of the current Congress.
"With respect to the situation with Pete Hegseth, the co-called Secretary of Defense, it was clear as day he's been a failure and a disaster for the American people," Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) told reporters before the vote. "He shredded the law and the Constitution with impunity and there's no circumstance that justifies him continuing in this position. This resolution is brought by a Republican member of Congress and it is my expectation there will Republican member sof Congress will be in the effort to try and pass the resolution."
During WBAI Pacifica Radio's breaking news coverage as the vote was happening, former New York Civil Liberties Executive Director Norm Siegel said that Massie's articles of impeachment "made a strong argument that we need accountability and we need to follow the rule of law and I think it's really good that we are doing this rather than the International Criminal Court or some other jurisdiction----he's doing it our name and we, in our name should hold him (Hegseth) accountable."
"Pete Hegseth has clearly committed war crimes and he and Donald Trump have clearly violated the Constitution in all of the particulars in this very well articulated and informed bill of particulars in these articles of impeachment," political analyst Dr. Pauline Park, with OUTFM, told listeners. "Yes, it's sad that Tom Massie won't be able to push them through but I have no doubt that the new House will consider these very carefully" adding that in the Senate with the incoming new Democratic majority "they may get to the two-thirds threshold for conviction and removal."
"Number one, Hegseth should be in a prison--he is a war criminal," said Larry Hamm, founder of the People's Organization for Progress. "These murders in the Caribbean were war crimes so if this impeachment thing goes through, after that he should find himself in the dock in the Hague, the International Criminal Court-but shouldn't be the only one" referencing President Trump.
Massie was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 from northern Kentucky's 4th Congressional District. He recently came to national prominence when he joined with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) to champion the House of Representatives discharge petition which called for the full release of the Jeffrey Epstein files held by the US Department of Justice under the Epstein Transparency Act.
Massie lost his primary to Ed Gallrein, who was supported by President Trump.
“What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight and it's not accountability. It's a political spectacle,” Hegseth told reporters hours before the vote. “It’s a farce and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it.”
"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," Rep. Massie said when he first drafted the articles of impeachment in September. "Secretary Hegseth's constitutional violations extend beyond the illegal war in Iran. He is abusing the power of his office to ignore congressional war powers resolutions, to kidnap foreign leaders, and to intimidate critics of the Trump administration by retaliating against them for exercising free speech. If we are to remain true to our oath to 'support and defend the Constitution of the United States,' Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegseth's unconstitutional and illegal actions."
Massie's summary
Article I - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 2(c): Charges Secretary Hegseth with waging the Iran war despite no declaration of war, statutory authorization, attack on the United States, or imminent threat. It establishes that the war was unlawful from its inception.
Article II - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 5(c): Charges Secretary Hegseth with continuing the Iran war after both Houses of Congress directed the removal of U.S. forces through H. Con. Res. 86. It focuses on his refusal to obey Congress’s express direction to terminate unauthorized hostilities.
Article III - Waging War in Contravention of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 Section 5(b): Charges Secretary Hegseth with continuing hostilities in Iran after expiration of the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day termination period and any potential 30-day withdrawal period. It establishes that he treated mandatory statutory deadlines as discretionary.
Article IV - Ignoring Laws that Minimize Civilian Casualties: Charges Secretary Hegseth with ignoring laws that minimize civilian casualties.
Article V - Extrajudicial Killings: Charges Secretary Hegseth with replacing maritime law enforcement with unauthorized lethal military targeting of suspected drug traffickers, resulting in at least 221 deaths. It also addresses denial of quarter, secondary strikes on survivors, failure to rescue shipwrecked persons, and the creation of artificial legal authorities for the campaign.
Article VI - Suppressing Free Speech: Charges Secretary Hegseth with using DOD authority to retaliate against and intimidate Senator Mark Kelly for constitutionally protected speech questioning unlawful military orders.
Article VII - Kidnapping of a Sovereign Foreign Leader: Charges Secretary Hegseth with directing Operation ABSOLUTE RESOLVE to seize Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela without constitutional or legal authority.
Article VIII - Unlawful War in Yemen: Charges Secretary Hegseth with initiating Operation ROUGH RIDER without congressional authorization or an imminent threat to the United States, while also violating war powers reporting requirements. It further addresses extensive civilian deaths and unlawful strikes on civilian objects, rescuers, and other protected persons.
In a letter to members of Congress, Dr. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents over 820,000 federal civil servants, urged members to support Hegseth impeachment.
“He has continued to flout the law by refusing to obey Congress’s express direction in June to terminate unauthorized hostilities against Iran. His illegal supervision of the hostilities has, so far, cost the lives of at least 21 service members and resulted in close to 900 injuries. This grim tally must not increase,” Kelley wrote.
Kelley continued. “Over the past year and a half, Mr. Hegseth has abused the authority of his office by illegally terminating workplace rights and protections for DoD civilian employees, many of whom are military veterans,” Kelley wrote in his letter. “These patriots have been silenced, unable to voice legitimate concerns about Mr. Hegseth’s conduct of the war in Iran without fear of political retaliation and job loss. The deprivation of their rights has harmed – not helped – our country’s national security. As legal challenges wend their way through the courts, the best hope for the swift restoration of the rule of law at the Department of Defense is for the House to impeach Mr. Hegseth and refer him to the Senate for removal from office.”
