U.S. President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack on Democrats after the Republican-led House of Representatives blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a vote held on Tuesday.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that «the Democrats’ attempt to impeach the Secretary of War ended in complete failure». He added that all Republicans had voted in support of Hegseth, with the exception of Representative Thomas Massie, whom he described as a «big loser».
The U.S. president pointed to what he called victories in Venezuela and Iran, along with the strongest recruitment figures in the history of the U.S. armed forces, with long waiting lists to join, and military morale reaching levels not seen in a long time. He said these achievements had resulted in the «exoneration of a great American patriot».
Trump also accused Democrats of continuing to «weaponize, exploit and abuse» U.S. institutions, calling for an end to what he described as these practices.
House of Representatives Blocks Hegseth Impeachment Effort
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 211 to 204 in favor of referring the impeachment resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, effectively blocking a vote scheduled for Wednesday on whether to bring formal charges against the defense secretary.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie introduced the impeachment resolution on Monday, citing the war with Iran and other military operations ordered by Trump.
Massie accused Hegseth of acting contrary to the trust placed in him as defense secretary, arguing that he had «demonstrated that he would continue to pose a threat to the Constitution if allowed to remain in office». He also said the secretary had acted in serious violation of his duties and the rule of law.
Hegseth Calls Impeachment Attempt a «Farce»
For his part, the U.S. defense secretary condemned the effort to remove him from office, describing it as a «farce» while defending his record in overseeing several military operations that have drawn criticism.
The development comes amid growing political divisions in the United States over the Trump administration’s handling of military operations and defense policy.
