Vance says Hegseth impeachment vote "isn't about Iran"
Some top Democrats want to pump the brakes on impeaching Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth next year after this week’s attempt came up short.
Key points
- Eleven Democrats were absent, helping Republicans shelve the charges against the defense secretary.
- It drew sharp criticism a week after the party’s sweeping election victories.
- House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told Democrats in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning that the party had disappointed the American people by not having all of the members there for the impeachment vote, and that it was their job to show up for the people who sent them there, according to people familiar with her comments.
With plenty in the caucus pushing for a Hegseth impeachment, though, another lawmaker could force a vote next Congress — whether Democratic leaders want it or not.
Additional details
- Nearly a dozen Democrats missed the vote Tuesday referring the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee, with Democratic lawmakers blaming traffic and scheduling conflicts, among other issues.
- Looking ahead to the next Congress, top Democrats plan to conduct investigations into Hegseth on their own terms, rather than letting their hand be forced early.
- Though Republicans previously resisted efforts to constrain the administration's military operations in Iran, some may be more willing to back Hegseth's impeachment after voters signaled strong disapproval of the administration and the Iran war during the midterm elections.
- House is scheduled to hold a preliminary impeachment vote Tuesday afternoon, but even if Congress impeaches Hegseth, removing him from office would require a two-thirds vote in the Republican-controlled Senate.
- Hegseth likened Massie's push to oust him to Democrats' successful impeachments of President Trump, saying the president was impeached over a " perfect phone call." What we're watching: The U.S.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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Every article behind this summary — 3 articles from 3 outlets
SemaforNovember 12, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC →
NYT PoliticsNovember 12, 2026, 12:21 AM UTC →
AxiosNovember 10, 2026, 5:34 PM UTC →
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