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Self-styled Secretary<\/span> of War Pete Hegseth narrowly avoided impeachment Tuesday night, as solidarity from House Republicans blocked a bill introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., charging Hegseth with \u201chigh crimes and misdemeanors.\u201d<\/p>\n Though Democrats overwhelmingly joined Massie\u2019s effort following their midterm election landslide, the House voted 211 to 204 to refer the charges to a committee, allowing Republicans to slow the process.\u00a0With 11 Democrats absent, they lacked the numbers. Massie, however, dismissed the impact of Democratic absences to The Intercept. \u201cNo, there were enough Republicans to rally to get here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The procedural vote spared Republicans a more difficult vote on whether to impeach Hegseth on Massie\u2019s eight charges, including waging wars without congressional authorization and undercutting measures to prevent civilian casualties. It followed a week of increasingly desperate efforts by the Pentagon chief<\/a> to shore up congressional and White House support, including a campaign-style video intended to influence Trump, a social media campaign by underlings<\/a>, and a rare appearance by Hegseth himself before the Pentagon press corps.<\/p>\n For half an hour on Tuesday morning\u2019s news conference, Hegseth wove a web of lies<\/a> designed to refute or obfuscate Massie\u2019s eight charges. He claimed that the effort to impeach him was a stunt by just \u201cone disgruntled congressman.\u201d That, too, turned out to be false as 203 members of Congress voted with Massie.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On Tuesday, a coalition of more than 40 civil society organizations \u2014 including Oxfam America, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Common Defense,\u00a0Demand Progress, MoveOn, and the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft \u2014 sent a letter<\/a> calling on all House members to vote for every article of impeachment filed against Hegseth.<\/p>\n \u201cPete Hegseth\u2019s time at the Pentagon has done grievous harm to the nation and to the Constitution,\u201d said Demand Progress senior policy adviser Cavan Kharrazian. \u201cThis is a man who ignored the will of Congress to execute an illegal war in Iran, kidnapped a foreign leader for oil, restarted war on Yemen, sent missiles to kill suspected drug traffickers and weaponized the Pentagon against a political enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n The House has only impeached two Cabinet secretaries: William Belknap, the secretary of war, in 1876; and Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, in 2024. In neither case did the Senate vote to convict.<\/p>\n \u201cThey diagnosed why they lost the election. But tonight they were paralyzed to do anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n After the vote, Massie called out the display of inaction from his Republican colleagues.<\/p>\n \u201cThey diagnosed why they lost the election,\u201d Massie said of fellow Republicans, following the vote on Tuesday night. \u201cBut tonight they were paralyzed to do anything about it. And that\u2019s the story of Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n Absent from the vote were Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley, Lou Correa and Nancy Pelosi, of California; Laura Gillen of New York; Steven Horsford of Nevada; Jonathan Jackson of Illinois; Brittany Pettersen of Colorado; Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Marilyn Strickland of Washington; and Frederica Wilson of Florida. The absent Republicans were Reps. Monica De La Cruz of Texas; Neal Dunn of Florida; Russell Fry of South Carolina; Julia Letlow of Louisiana; Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin; and Rudy Yakym of Indiana.<\/p>\n A senior congressional staffer predicted that Hegseth would face a very rough road if he survived impeachment. \u201cOversight is going to come crashing down on his head,\u201d that staffer said. \u201cWill Hegseth continue to obstruct? Yes. But wait until the subpoenas start.\u201d<\/p>\n\n