Eleven Democrats miss vote as House sends Hegseth impeachment to committee

Eleven Democratic members of the US House of Representatives missed Tuesday's vote that prevented an impeachment procedure against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The House voted 211-204 to refer the impeachment articles to the Republican-led Judiciary Committee, effectively stopping the initiative. The vote was almost entirely along party lines, with only Republican Representative Thomas Massie joining the Democrats in opposition. If the eleven absent Democrats had voted against, the impeachment procedure would not have been dismissed (211-215). Democrats criticized their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, for not ensuring full attendance. Among the absent Democrats was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had flown to San Francisco for an award ceremony. Other Democrats cited traffic as the reason for missing the vote. Seven Republicans were also absent.