BREAKING: House Republicans block Hegseth impeachment effort in 211 to 204 vote

The lone Republican to vote against the measure was outgoing GOP Rep Thomas Massie, who had led the effort to impeach. He had said on Monday that he would not bring forth another resolution to impeach Hegseth, per CBS News.

The articles of impeachment accused Hegseth of illegaly waging war against Iran without Congress’ approval, ignoring laws aimed at minimizing civilian casualties, overseeing “extrajudicial killings” in strikes on drug boats, supressing free speech, capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro without congressional approval, and illegally waging war in Yemen.

Hegseth defended his actions in a press conference on Tuesday morning, saying, “Let's be clear about what this resolution actually does. It tells our enemies, Iran, the cartels, every adversary watching, that the United States will actually punish its own warriors and its own civilian leadership for successfully executing lawful military operations. It tells them that a single rogue legislator, loaded with personal animus for the president can attempt to veto national security decisions made by the duly elected commander in chief. It puts a target on the backs of American warriors by signaling that Congress will undermine their missions in real time.”

He said of the articles, “These resolutions are a farce. They mock the Constitution. They attack the chain of command and they criminalize the war fighters who execute lawful orders. This process hands our adversaries a propaganda victory, and wastes the time of Congress that should instead be focused on protecting the American people. We will continue to do the job the American people elected President Trump to do protect this country, defeat our enemies, and rebuild a military worthy of the warriors who wear the uniform.”