11 Democrats under fire for helping Pete Hegseth avoid impeachment. Who are they?

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's defence secretary, survived an impeachment challenge in the US House on Tuesday after Republican lawmakers blocked an effort accusing him of unlawfully waging the Iran war and ordering other controversial military operations. But the biggest controversy may now be inside the Democratic Party. Eleven House Democrats were absent when lawmakers voted on whether to keep the impeachment effort against the defence secretary alive, prompting furious criticism from some of their own colleagues.The House voted 211-204 to send Republican Representative Thomas Massie's impeachment articles against Hegseth to the GOP-controlled Judiciary Committee. 11 Democrats were among the 18 members who did not vote.But the narrow margin has left Democrats asking whether the outcome could have been different if the absent lawmakers had been on the House floor. The answer is not as simple as a straight yes. But their absence has triggered anger among fellow Democrats, particularly because several lawmakers said they believed Hegseth should be impeached.New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticised colleagues who failed to appear, saying lawmakers were elected to "do a job" and should show up to perform it. California Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove was even more blunt, arguing that Democrats should have made their way to the Capitol because they knew the vote was coming.WHY WAS HE FACING IMPEACHMENT?Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has repeatedly broken with President Donald Trump, introduced the impeachment articles against Hegseth on Monday. The resolution accused the defence secretary of committing "high crimes and misdemeanors", including launching military action against Iran without congressional authorisation and ordering strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. The impeachment effort therefore went beyond a routine dispute over Pentagon policy. It challenged Hegseth's authority to conduct military operations and raised questions about whether the administration had bypassed Congress in matters of war.But the House vote did not decide whether Hegseth should ultimately be removed from office.Instead, lawmakers voted on whether to send Massie's impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee. The 211-204 result means the Republican-controlled committee will now have control over whether the effort moves forward. For Hegseth and Trump, that was a significant political victory.But for Democrats, it was a frustrating outcome that was made more difficult by the absence of 11 members of their own caucus.WHO WERE THE 11 ABSENT DEMOCRATS?The absent lawmakers were Nancy Pelosi of California, Haley Stevens of Michigan, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Laura Gillen of New York, J. Luis Correa of California, Julia Brownley of California, Steven Horsford of Nevada, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, Marilyn Strickland of Washington, Jonathan Jackson of Illinois and Frederica Wilson of Florida.Not all 11 were absent for the same reason. According to US media reports, some said circumstances outside their control prevented them from reaching the House floor, while others were dealing with medical or personal commitments. A few did not publicly explain their absence.TRAFFIC JAMMED SOME LAWMAKERS OUTAt least four Democrats reportedly said traffic prevented them from reaching the chamber before the vote was closed. Stansbury said she was blocked from entering the Capitol because of a traffic incident involving a police escort for a bus. She said she reached the chamber after the vote had already ended and subsequently recorded her intended "NO" vote.Gillen said she was caught in the same traffic and also supported impeaching Hegseth. Jackson and Pettersen similarly said they were unable to reach the chamber in time. Pettersen said she was "denied" the opportunity to vote, while her office later confirmed that traffic was the problem.Brownley said House Speaker Mike Johnson closed the vote before she and other Democrats could make it to the floor. Strickland's office said she missed the vote by about a minute after being stuck behind a motorcade.The lawmakers maintained that they would have voted against sending the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee -- effectively voting to keep the impeachment effort alive.PELOSI WAS BACK IN CALIFORNIAFormer House speaker Nancy Pelosi was another prominent absentee. Pelosi, 86, had been photographed at the Capitol earlier in the day but later returned to California, according to her spokesperson cited by media reports. She was in San Francisco for an event involving local veterans and to receive a Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award.Her spokesperson said Pelosi would have voted in favour of allowing the impeachment effort to proceed. Her absence nevertheless became politically conspicuous because Pelosi remains one of the most recognisable figures in the Democratic Party.California Representative J. Luis Correa said he was undergoing a medical procedure and remained in his district until he was medically cleared.Three other Democrats -- Horsford, Stevens and Wilson -- did not publicly provide a reason for missing the vote. Their lack of explanation left them facing sharper questions from fellow Democrats and political observers, particularly because the vote was known in advance and passed by only a seven-vote margin.DEMOCRATS TURN THEIR ANGER INWARDThe unusual political spectacle was that Democrats were not only attacking Hegseth and Republicans. They were also publicly criticising members of their own party. Ocasio-Cortez said she wanted to leave room for genuine health problems or other serious circumstances, but stressed that lawmakers had a responsibility to turn up for votes.Kamlager-Dove was more aggressive, arguing that there was no reason Democrats should have lost because of attendance. She also mocked Hegseth's appearance at the Pentagon earlier in the day, when he defended his record and dismissed the impeachment effort as a political spectacle.While Democrats turned on their absent colleagues, Trump celebrated the outcome.The US President attacked Massie on Truth Social and portrayed the impeachment effort as another example of Democrats attempting to undermine his administration. The vote also provided temporary relief for Hegseth, who had spent the day defending himself against the impeachment push.But the impeachment push is unlikely to disappear.The resolution now sits with the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans retain control until the current Congress ends. Democrats are expected to have greater influence once the new Congress takes office in January, potentially giving the impeachment effort another chance.- Ends