The House vote to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth failed by seven votes on Tuesday. Eleven Democrats never made it to the floor.
Republicans voted 211 to 204 to send the articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, where the Republican majority will hold them for the rest of the lame-duck session. The articles came from Rep. Thomas Massie, a retiring Kentucky Republican. Only Massie broke with his party.
The absences outnumbered the margin, and that set off a round of finger-pointing inside the Democratic Party. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas said many of his colleagues were disappointed that everyone was not there. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California said there was no reason to lose a vote over attendance.
Several of the missing lawmakers blamed traffic around the Capitol. Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico said a traffic incident and a police escort kept her from the chamber, and she filed her vote in the congressional record after the gavel fell. Rep. Marilyn Strickland of Washington said she was stuck behind a motorcade and missed the vote by one minute. Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois gave a similar account.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in San Francisco for a Veterans Day event. Rep. Lou Correa of California cited a medical procedure. Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada cited a personal emergency. Two of the 11 have not explained their absence.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said impeaching Hegseth will be a priority when Democrats take control of the House in January. Hegseth called the effort a political spectacle.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
