The first impeachment push just went down in flames.
But Democrats are already revealing what comes next.
The target is War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries is signaling that the fight will return when his party takes control of Congress in January.
Republicans shelved Rep. Thomas Massie’s eight-article resolution Tuesday night by sending it to the House Judiciary Committee on a 211-204 vote.
Vice President JD Vance cut straight through the spectacle before the vote:
The immediate effort is dead. The larger campaign is not.
CBS News reported that the House referred the resolution to committee, effectively ending Massie’s bid for the current Congress. Massie was the only Republican to vote against referral, while 11 Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote.
The procedural move prevented the House from taking separate votes on the eight impeachment charges and left the resolution in committee for the remainder of the current Congress.
The outlet reported that Massie has no plan to introduce another resolution before he leaves Congress in early January. Democrats, however, can restart the process once they control the chamber.
Jeffries described Tuesday’s vote as the opening phase of an impeachment campaign Democrats can revive after taking House control in January.
The Pentagon side called the result a complete win for Hegseth and the troops he leads:
So what are Democrats preparing to revive?
Massie’s official resolution contains eight articles aimed at Hegseth’s conduct as secretary.
The allegations cover the war with Iran, military operations in Yemen, strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats, the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, civilian-casualty protections and the Pentagon’s response to Sen. Mark Kelly’s public statements about military orders.
Massie accused Hegseth of continuing the Iran war without congressional authorization and argued that the War Powers Resolution required a withdrawal from hostilities. He also alleged that the secretary ignored legal protections intended to reduce civilian casualties.
Another charge attacked Hegseth’s effort to discipline Kelly, a retired Navy officer, after the Democratic senator appeared in a video telling service members to refuse unlawful orders. The resolution framed the Pentagon’s response as retaliation for protected speech.
Those are allegations and political arguments, not criminal convictions. Hegseth rejected them as policy disagreements dressed up as impeachable offenses.
Axios described the vote as a victory for Hegseth, President Trump’s administration and Republican leaders. The outlet also noted that the reprieve may be temporary because Democrats will have the power to force the issue after taking the gavels in January.
Tuesday’s referral passed 211-204, with Massie casting the lone Republican vote against it and ending his bid before members voted on the charges themselves.
That gives the country a clear preview of the next Congress: investigations, subpoenas and another impeachment battle over the Trump Administration’s national-security decisions.
Even Democrats who missed Tuesday’s vote are openly promising to keep the campaign alive. Rep. Melanie Stansbury said she would have voted against referral and insisted that Hegseth should still be impeached:
The White House is standing firmly behind Hegseth.
In its official statement opposing the resolution, the Trump Administration called the effort politically motivated and warned that impeaching a defense secretary for carrying out military missions ordered by the commander in chief would set a dangerous precedent. The statement urged every House member to support the motion sending the resolution to committee.
The White House argued that the Department of War has defended the homeland, dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, brought Maduro to justice and targeted narcoterrorists trying to move drugs toward the United States. It said those operations strengthened national security under President Trump’s leadership.
Tuesday’s referral ended Massie’s effort in the current Congress.
Democrats have said they plan to revive the impeachment push after taking House control in January.
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[ H/T WLT Report ]
