House Republicans quash effort to impeach US defence secretary Hegseth

Pete Hegseth has survived a move to be impeached (Nathan Howard/AP)

The House on Tuesday turned aside a resolution to impeach US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran.

The vote came as Republicans grapple with the fallout from sweeping midterm losses that some in the party have blamed on the war in Iran and the resulting surge in gas prices.

But, after President Donald Trump signalled strong support for Mr Hegseth, Republican politicians largely stood by the secretary on Tuesday.

They rejected the impeachment effort led by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats.

The vote may only delay an impeachment push against Mr Hegseth, with Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the next speaker when Democrats take charge in January, stood firmly behind the push, saying Mr Hegseth has “abused his power” and “undermined America’s national security”.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Mr Hegseth’s impeachment as well.

Mr Hegseth rebuked the effort on Tuesday in his first news conference in months, portraying Mr Massie as a rogue lawmaker and arguing he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal.

He framed the effort as an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes and said it was undermining American forces “in real time”.

“This is not patriotism,” Mr Hegseth said. “This is sabotage.”

Mr Massie’s resolution included eight counts of impeachment.

It largely focused on the war in Iran but also included references to Mr Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.

Mr Massie, a Kentucky Republican leaving Congress in January after losing his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, says Mr Hegseth has “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders”.