House to leave early, punting Hegseth impeachment vote until after November elections

Key Points:

• House GOP leaders canceled Thursday votes, delaying a vote on Rep. Thomas Massie's resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until after the November midterm elections, citing no connection to the impeachment effort.
• Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Massie's impeachment move as a "publicity stunt" and defended Hegseth's leadership amid ongoing international conflicts, emphasizing national security concerns.
• Massie filed the impeachment resolution as "privileged," requiring action within two legislative days, but the vote was postponed when GOP leaders scrapped Thursday votes, with the House set to return on November 9.
• Johnson encouraged GOP members to return to their districts to campaign and highlight legislative achievements, including tax cuts and low violent crime rates, ahead of the midterms.
• Massie, a longtime critic of Hegseth and Trump on Iran war policies, accused Hegseth of threatening the Constitution and acting against the rule of law, while Hegseth previously supported a primary challenger who defeated Massie.