THE NEW YORK TIMES: Republican laments GOP remains under Trump ‘spell’ after Hegseth survives impeachment vote

House Republicans banded together to shelve an effort to impeach Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, shielding him from a damaging rebuke and a potential ouster after their party suffered crippling losses in an election that turned on voters’ discontent about the Iran war.

The action spared Republicans a vote on whether to impeach Mr Hegseth on eight separate charges, including violating the Constitution to wage war in Iran and elsewhere without congressional authorisation, flouting laws to mitigate civilian casualties and abusing his power by retaliating against a senator for public statements.

The vote was 211-204 to refer the charges to a committee, which would allow Republicans to slow the process indefinitely.

Only one Republican, congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who spearheaded the effort, voted with Democrats against doing so.

President Donald Trump said the vote was an “exoneration” of Mr Hegseth and warned that Democrats “must be stopped” from what he said was weaponisation of government.

The outcome was an unexpected reprieve for Mr Hegseth, one of Mr Trump’s most outspoken and combative Cabinet members and the public face of the war with Iran. Democrats could still move to impeach him next year when they assume power, but have so far not indicated whether they will try to do so.

Mr Hegseth’s conduct has, at times, drawn bipartisan criticism from members of Congress, and his standing in the administration was further thrown into question following sweeping Republicans losses in the midterm elections, in which voters’ discontent about the war was a major factor.

The vote came hours after Mr Hegseth defended himself defiantly at a Pentagon news briefing, equating the criticisms of him to critiques of US troops.

“I stand behind every one of these operations,” Mr Hegseth said of the military actions cited in the articles as unlawful misconduct.

“I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.”

He castigated Mr Massie, the Kentucky Republican who lost his primary this year to a Trump-backed challenger, for pursuing what he called a “political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment,” and dismissed his accusations, calling them attacks by “one disgruntled guy.”

It had not been clear before Tuesday’s vote whether GOP lawmakers, including several who were unexpectedly defeated or won re-election far more narrowly than they anticipated, would rally to support Mr Hegseth.

Party leaders had also been concerned that low attendance by their members could doom their chances of saving Mr Hegseth. In the end, though, more Democrats than Republicans missed the vote.

The 11 Democrats who did not vote were Reps. Julia Brownley, Lou Correa and Nancy Pelosi, all of California; Laura Gillen of New York; Steven Horsford of Nevada; Jonathan L. Jackson of Illinois; Brittany Pettersen of Colorado; Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico; Haley Stevens of Michigan; Marilyn Strickland of Washington; and Frederica Wilson of Florida.

The Republicans who did not record a position were Reps. Monica De La Cruz of Texas; Neal Dunn of Florida; Russell Fry of South Carolina; Julia Letlow of Louisiana; Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden, both of Wisconsin; and Rudy Yakym III of Indiana.

Asked whether pursuing the failed impeachment effort had been worth it, Mr Massie said it “absolutely” had been, because it provided proof that his party was still in thrall to Mr Trump.

“What I found out tonight is they still haven’t broken from the spell of Donald Trump,” Mr Massie said.

“He still controls this conference.”

Some Republicans who had expressed dissatisfaction with Mr Hegseth’s performance ultimately concluded that impeachment was not the appropriate remedy, noting that Cabinet secretaries serve at the pleasure of the President and that any decision to fire him rested with Mr Trump.

Others had privately raised concerns that the articles of impeachment, which include wide-ranging allegations of misconduct when overseeing military operations to policy disputes within the Pentagon, could also implicate the president in his role as commander in chief.

At the White House, Vice President JD Vance made a forceful defence of Mr Hegseth, saying in a social media post that the effort was nothing more than political theatre by Congress, which has “many tools for registering its policy disagreements.”

“Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes?” Mr Vance wrote.

“The question is absurd and the answer is: obviously not.”