House Refers Hegseth Impeachment Articles to Committee

The House voted 211-204 to send eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, after 11 Democrats did not vote on the measure. The referral effectively sidelined the impeachment effort for the remainder of the current congressional session.

The articles were introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and alleged misconduct including unauthorized military actions. Hegseth has rejected the impeachment effort. The referral vote was procedural; the House did not vote on whether to impeach him.

Rep. Jonathan Jackson, an Illinois Democrat, was among those who missed the vote. Jackson had cited traffic as the reason, according to reports describing his explanation. His reason for not voting remains unexplained.

Charlie Cotton, a reporter who covered the Capitol, said he saw Jackson on the Capitol steps around 5:57 or 5:58 p.m., while the vote remained open until 6:05 p.m. Cotton said Jackson was filming a social-media video about the impeachment effort. Cotton’s account, repeated in reports, is the basis for the timeline; it does not establish why Jackson did not enter the House chamber or whether he knowingly missed the vote.