Decisive Votes

Eleven Democrats Were Missing! Controversy Over the Hegseth Vote

The effort to impeach Pete Hegseth failed by a narrow margin and has sparked internal criticism among Democrats.(Bild: AP/Rebecca Blackwell)

The effort to impeach U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was blocked by a narrow majority of 211 to 204 votes. However, the effort did not fail because of the Republicans, but rather due to the absence of Democrats themselves—eleven members of their own party did not even show up for the vote.

By a majority of just seven votes, members of the House of Representatives voted to refer the allegations against Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee. The impeachment proceedings were thus derailed at the very outset.

In other words: The absent Democrats could have pushed forward the proceedings against the controversial Pentagon chief Hegseth.

“Traffic Accidents and Traffic Jams”
Some of the absent Democrats stated that they had not made it to the Capitol in time due to traffic delays. Two of the eleven representatives said they arrived just as the vote had ended.

Pelosi Received an Honor During the Vote
Nancy Pelosi, the 86-year-old Democrat from California, was in San Francisco at the time of the vote to attend a Veterans Day celebration. There, she was honored for her service, according to U.S. media reports. A spokeswoman said that Pelosi would certainly have voted against Hegseth.

In contrast to the Democrats, seven Republicans were absent. The failed impeachment attempt sparked a wave of criticism. Democratic Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries is being accused of failing to get all members to the chamber in time.

“People should have dragged their lazy butts up here”
“We knew this vote was coming,” Democrat Sydney Kamlager-Dove said angrily in an interview. “People should have dragged their lazy butts up the stairs to vote.”

“We have to do our jobs”
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview with CNN: “At the end of the day, we’re here to do our jobs. And just as I had to clock in on time when I worked at a restaurant, we have to show up here and do our jobs.”

Hegseth Buys Time, But …
The outcome of the vote buys Defense Secretary Hegseth some time. However, following their victory in next year’s midterm elections, the Democrats—who had supported the impeachment proceedings—will take control of Congress—in both chambers.

The cards could then be reshuffled once again. Ocasio-Cortez told CNN that the investigations into the Secretary of Defense are by no means over. There will be many investigations and subpoenas. Nevertheless, voices are already being raised claiming that the Democrats are once again failing because of their own shortcomings.

Internal Party Critic Filed the Motion
The motion for impeachment was introduced by Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky. Among other things, he accuses Hegseth of pushing forward the war against Iran without congressional approval and of exceeding his authority as Secretary of Defense.

In addition, the congressman accuses the former Fox News host of the “extrajudicial killing” of suspected drug smugglers through airstrikes on ships in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific. Hegseth, he claims, abused his authority at the Pentagon. Massie had lost the intra-party primary in the midterms to a Trump-backed opponent. As a result, he effectively had nothing left to lose.