Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is safe from an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives after GOP leaders successfully stopped a looming vote led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
A vote to refer Massie's resolution to the House Judiciary Committee for consideration — which effectively killed it in its tracks — passed on Tuesday evening by a 211-204 margin, averting a potential impeachment vote on Wednesday.
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which → stop → Wednesday
The GOP had been worried about having a significant number of absences on their side after their brutal midterm election performance last week, but it appears Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrangled one more victory on his way out the leadership door.
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Johnson → have → door
Massie's resolution is a wide-ranging piece of legislation accusing Hegseth of misusing his office via eight impeachment articles, spanning issues including the Iran war, U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and his retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., over a video calling on troops to disobey "unlawful orders.
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resolution → range → orders
Hegseth railed against the effort and criticized Massie personally during a news conference Tuesday morning.
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Hegseth → rail → conference
"What one disgruntled and defeated congressman is attempting is not oversight, and it's not accountability.
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it → defeat → What
It's a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment," Hegseth said.
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Hegseth → drive → ego
The outgoing Kentucky Republican was able to force Tuesday night's vote over the objections of House GOP leaders by filing a privileged resolution, a mechanism aimed at bypassing the will of the chamber's majority.
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Republican → force → majority
A privileged resolution must be considered within two legislative days of being filed.
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resolution → consider → days
All Democrats present backed moving forward with the impeachment on Tuesday evening, as expected.
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Democrats → back → evening
All Republicans but Massie voted to kill the resolution.
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Republicans → vote → resolution
But some were worried earlier in the day about weak attendance potentially clearing the path for an actual impeachment vote.
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attendance → worry → vote
"I'm going to vote no," Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
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Ellzey → go → Digital
"I don't know if any Republicans other than Massie will be in support of his articles of impeachment, but I don't even know how many Republicans will be here by the time of the vote.
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Republicans → know → vote
Numerically, if they're all here and we're not, what happens then?"
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what → happen → ?
Ellzey called the impeachment effort "a ridiculous waste of time."
Even House Republicans who are critical of Hegseth were hesitant to support Massie's resolution.
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who → call → resolution
"I think it's an effort to scapegoat Pete Hegseth for Congress shirking their own duty and, frankly, the president taking action that, in my view, is unconstitutional.
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that → think → view
but it's also not unprecedented," Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, who is opposed to the Trump administration's involvement in Iran, said.
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who → oppose → Iran
"What would be unprecedented is to hold the secretary of defense accountable for a decision the president makes.
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president → hold → decision
Or, frankly, it would have been unprecedented for the secretary of defense to kind of break ranks on something that is clearly not unprecedented in terms of what has become the standard operating procedure for administrations going back to the Korean War."
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a vocal critic of Hegseth's, told reporters Tuesday, "I'm personally not a fan of the secretary.
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I → break → secretary
I don't think he was the right guy in the job.
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he → think → job
But, also, when you read Massie's impeachment, I don't agree with it."
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I → read → it
The Aporia
