US House blocks impeachment push against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth

The US House referred eight impeachment articles against Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee. The procedural move could derail a rare effort driven partly by anger over the Iran war.Pete Hegseth gets reprieve as US House blocks impeachment effort.The Republican-led US House of Representatives on Tuesday effectively blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, referring eight articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee in a move that could derail the proceedings and give the Pentagon chief more time in office.The move came just hours after Hegseth dismissed the impeachment push as a farce and mounted a strong defence of his record at the Pentagon, drawing praise from US President Donald Trump.Republicans passed a procedural motion to refer the eight articles of impeachment to the House Judiciary Committee. The move was opposed by the impeachment effort's sponsor, Republican Representative Thomas Massie, who warned that the referral would effectively kill the initiative.Massie, an outgoing lawmaker from Kentucky, had sought support from Republicans unhappy with Hegseth's policies and concerned about the growing unpopularity of the Iran war. Democrats had also backed the effort and attempted to help him secure a vote on impeachment. Had the effort succeeded, Hegseth would have become the first US defence secretary to be impeached. The last time a civilian leader of the US military faced impeachment was in 1876, when William Belknap was serving as secretary of war.Hegseth, who took office last year, has sought to rebrand the military as the Department of War, arguing that the US military had become too weak and "woke". However, Trump cannot formally change the name of the Defence Department without congressional approval.IRAN WAR FUELS IMPEACHMENT PUSH The impeachment effort came amid mounting public anger over the Iran war, which has settled into an effective stalemate centred on securing the Strait of Hormuz. Opposition to the conflict also helped Democrats win control of Congress in last week's midterm elections.House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries had strongly criticised Hegseth ahead of the vote, accusing him of abusing his power, undermining US national security and being the architect of a "reckless and costly failed war of choice in Iran".Hegseth, however, defended the military campaign, praising Trump as courageous and claiming that Iran's military capabilities had been left in ruins. He also maintained that his orders to US forces were lawful.Massie's impeachment articles accused Hegseth of "high crimes and misdemeanors", citing the Iran war as well as the US military operation in January to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro."History will judge the Iran war quite differently than the conventional wisdom right now," Hegseth said.Trump reiterated his support for the Pentagon chief shortly after the briefing ended, praising his defence against the impeachment allegations in a post on Truth Social."Pete Hegseth gets an 'A' PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defense against a disgruntled, angry, defeated, former Congressman, Thomas Massie, a TOTAL LOSER!" Trump wrote.- Ends