Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Republican-led US House of Representatives on Tuesday effectively blocked an effort to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, referring eight articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee in a move that could derail the proceedings.
The vote gave Hegseth a reprieve amid mounting criticism over his handling of the Iran war and other military operations. The move came just hours after the Pentagon chief dismissed the impeachment effort as a farce and defended his record at the helm of the military.
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Reacting to the House vote, US President Donald Trump declared that the Democrats’ impeachment attempt had “miserably FAILED”, praising Republicans for backing Hegseth.
“The Democrats’ attempt to impeach Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has miserably FAILED! Every single Republican, except Thomas Massie, a major LOSER, voted in favor of Pete,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
Trump described Hegseth as a “Great American Patriot” and credited his leadership with what he called victories in Venezuela and Iran, record military recruitment figures and improved morale among US forces.
He also accused Democrats of weaponising and abusing the United States, adding, “They must be stopped! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Republicans passed a procedural motion to refer all eight articles of impeachment to the House Judiciary Committee. Thomas Massie, the Republican lawmaker who sponsored the impeachment effort, had warned that the move would effectively kill the initiative.
Massie, an outgoing representative from Kentucky, had sought support from Republicans unhappy with Hegseth’s policies and concerned about the unpopularity of the Iran war. Democrats had also backed the effort and attempted to help him secure an impeachment vote.
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.
IRAN WAR AT CENTRE OF IMPEACHMENT PUSH
The impeachment effort came amid 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 accused Hegseth 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 during a Pentagon briefing.
Trump had also backed Hegseth earlier, giving him an “A” PLUS, PLUS, PLUS for his defence against Massie’s impeachment push.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
