Live Updates: Pete Hegseth Impeachment Effort Is Derailed by House Republicans

Key Points:

• The House voted 211 to 204 to refer impeachment charges against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to committee, effectively delaying and likely killing the effort; only Republican Thomas Massie joined Democrats in opposing this move.
• Hegseth, a controversial figure and key Trump ally, defended his military actions as lawful orders from the president and framed the impeachment attempt as an attack on U.S. troops and patriotism.
• The impeachment articles, introduced by Massie, accuse Hegseth of initiating unauthorized wars, disregarding congressional authority, and conducting extrajudicial killings, among other serious allegations related to military operations in Iran, Yemen, and narcotics interdiction.
• Vice President JD Vance and President Trump strongly defended Hegseth, dismissing the impeachment effort as political theater and praising his military leadership.
• Thomas Massie, who lost his primary to a Trump-backed candidate, has been a vocal critic of the Iran war and the Trump administration’s military policies, positioning himself as a constitutionalist willing to oppose party lines on issues like war powers and government transparency.