Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth survived an impeachment attempt in the House on Tuesday, much to the disappointment of some Democrats. Following the result, Vermont Democratic Rep. Becca Balint posted a short video on X, expressing her disappointment that the GOP had blocked efforts to hold Hegseth accountable for alleged misconduct over his handling of military operations, including the ongoing war with Iran.
The House voted 211 to 204 to send the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee rather than move forward with an immediate vote on whether to impeach Hegseth.
Balint said she was “deeply frustrated and disappointed” by the outcome.
“This place just breaks your heart sometimes,” the Democrat said. “[It] is so frustrating and such a disappointment given the strong show of Americans at the polls last week saying we want a change in direction when it comes to Iran, and it starts at the top.”
Balint, however, stated that “in spite of the GOP’s resistance,” the failed impeachment effort would not stop her and other lawmakers from investigating Hegseth.
“All hope is not lost because this means in Judiciary and Oversight, we’re going to do a true investigation of all of the things that have gone wrong at the hands of this deeply, deeply flawed secretary of defense… we’re not gonna let this go,” Balint said.
The resolution was introduced by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie. Among the issues raised were the administration’s handling of the Iran war without congressional approval, concerns about civilian casualties, and military strikes on boats suspected of carrying drugs in Latin America.
Hegseth reportedly rejected the allegations, calling it a “farce” and a “stunt.” President Donald Trump also defended his defense secretary.
Netizens Slam Balint for Blaming Republicans
Although most Republicans voted to send the resolution to committee, Massie broke with his party and opposed the move alongside all 203 Democrats who voted. Voting records showed that 11 Democrats and seven Republicans were absent.
If all 11 absent Democrats had voted against the motion, while the other votes remained unchanged, the motion would have been defeated by 215 votes to 211.
This became one of the main complaints among people responding to Balint’s video, as several netizens on X questioned why she had singled out Republicans without mentioning the Democrats who missed the vote.
“The Democrats are in such disarray they can’t even focus and cooperate as a team,” one commenter remarked. Another asked, “Why don’t you mention the dems that sabotaged the vote?”
A third accused Balint of misleading the public, commenting, “11 democrats didn’t show up. That’s why it failed. Lying to the American people is no longer an effective strategy.” Another chimed in, “Your gaslighting feels so…MAGA”
Others slammed Balint, arguing that she had more pressing matters to address than bringing up another impeachment effort against Hegseth.
“EXACTLY how does impeaching him make my gas or groceries cheaper?” one person demanded. Another wrote, “You should be focused on making your constituents lives affordable, but you aren’t are you?”
For now, Hegseth remains defense secretary, as the House has not voted to impeach him. The resolution is now with the Judiciary Committee, which can review the allegations and decide whether to take further action. If impeachment proceedings eventually move forward, the House would need a majority vote to impeach him, followed by a Senate trial where a two-thirds vote would be required to remove him from office.
