US House delays Hegseth impeachment vote, refers charges to committee

• The US House voted 211-204 to refer eight impeachment articles against secretary of war Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, blocking an immediate impeachment vote

• The allegations include unauthorised military operations in Iran, unlawful strikes and misconduct involving Venezuela, Yemen and senator Mark Kelly. All six Indian-American lawmakers voted against the referral

• The move does not clear Hegseth of wrongdoing but makes an impeachment vote in the current Congress unlikely. Trump welcomed the outcome, while Democrats vowed to continue the fight

The US House of Representatives has blocked an immediate vote on the impeachment of secretary of war Pete Hegseth, referring eight articles alleging misconduct over the Iran war and other military operations to the House Judiciary Committee.

The motion passed 211-204 in a narrow procedural vote, giving Hegseth temporary relief from an immediate impeachment showdown. However, the decision does not clear him of the allegations or determine the merits of the charges.

The resolution, introduced by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, accused Hegseth of several instances of misconduct, including authorising military operations against Iran without congressional approval, disregarding civilian protection measures and ordering unlawful strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats. Other allegations involved US military actions in Venezuela and Yemen, as well as alleged retaliation against senator Mark Kelly.

According to the official House roll call, 210 Republicans and independent Congressman Kevin Kiley of California voted in favour of referring the resolution to the committee. Massie was the only Republican to oppose the move, joining 203 Democrats.

Eighteen lawmakers did not participate in the vote, including 11 Democrats and seven Republicans. Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi was among those absent. The motion passed by a margin of seven votes.

All six Indian-American members of the House -- Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Suhas Subramanyam and Shri Thanedar -- voted against the referral, signalling their support for allowing the impeachment process to move forward.

Massie had introduced the measure as a privileged resolution, compelling the House to take procedural action. Ahead of the vote, he warned that sending the articles to committee could effectively stall the impeachment effort for the remainder of the current Congress.

Hegseth, meanwhile, dismissed the allegations during a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, arguing that the charges were politically motivated.

"None of these are high crimes or misdemeanours," he said. "They're partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicise our military."

The Trump administration had also urged lawmakers to support the referral. A formal White House statement described the impeachment effort as politically driven and defended the president's constitutional authority to direct military operations.

Vice-president J.D. Vance came out in support of Hegseth, writing on X: "Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes? The question is absurd, and the answer is: obviously not."

President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome, declaring on Truth Social that the impeachment effort had "miserably FAILED!" He also described the vote as the "EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot."

However, the House did not vote on the substance of the impeachment charges, meaning Hegseth was not formally cleared of the allegations.

Massie expressed disappointment with the outcome, telling reporters, "I wasn't surprised, but I was disappointed." He indicated that his next move would be to seek a vote on a war powers resolution concerning Iran.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries also suggested that the issue was far from settled. "This is not the end of it. It's just the beginning," he said.

Democratic Whip Katherine Clark accused Republicans of shielding Hegseth instead of standing up for American military personnel. Krishnamoorthi had appealed to Republicans to break ranks, while Jayapal and Thanedar separately called for Hegseth's impeachment.

The referral now leaves the resolution with the Judiciary Committee, which is under no obligation to take further action. With the current Congress scheduled to end on 3 January, a substantive impeachment vote during this session appears unlikely.

Democrats, who won control of both chambers in the 3 November midterm elections, could revive the impeachment effort when the new Congress convenes.

Under the US Constitution, the House can impeach a federal official with a simple majority vote. A conviction and removal from office, however, requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate among members present.

Only two Cabinet secretaries have previously faced impeachment: William Belknap in 1876 and Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024. Neither was removed from office by the Senate.

With IANS inputs