Rep. Melanie Stansbury missed a House vote aimed at keeping Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s impeachment push alive Tuesday after she claimed a traffic incident and police escort blocked her and other Democrats from reaching the Capitol in time.
The New Mexico Democrat arrived moments after lawmakers voted 211-204 to send Rep. Thomas Massie’s eight articles of impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, effectively ending the effort during the 119th Congress.
“Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote,” her office posted on X. “When she reached the chamber the vote had just gaveled out.”
Her office said she immediately filed a report in the Congressional Record recording a “NO” vote on the motion to send the articles to committee. “Pete Hegseth must be impeached now,” her office added.
No Democrats opposed advancing Massie’s resolution in the procedural vote. Massie was the only Republican to side with Democrats, while Rep. Kevin Kiley, who left the GOP this year and lost his election last week, voted with Republicans.
Tonight, House Republicans used a procedural motion to kill the impeachment of Pete Hegseth, by referring it to the Judiciary Committee.
Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due a traffic incident and a police escort of a…
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) November 11, 2026
Massie reintroduced the impeachment articles Monday despite his own electoral defeat. The Kentucky Republican accused Hegseth of violating the Constitution and other laws during U.S. military operations in Yemen, Iran, the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, as well as the operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Massie had said that if the House reached the articles themselves, he would request a separate vote on each one.
Three articles targeted the war with Iran, which Massie has argued was conducted without congressional authorization.
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Another accused the Pentagon of dismantling safeguards used to distinguish civilian targets from military objectives, while a fifth blamed Hegseth for deadly boat strikes near South America that have killed at least 244 alleged “narco-terrorists”.
Hegseth fired back at Massie during a Pentagon press conference Tuesday morning, calling him “one disgruntled and defeated congressman” pursuing what he described as a personal campaign driven by ego and resentment.
He also accused the Kentucky Republican of trying to damage Trump, the country and the service members who defend it. “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt, and everybody knows it,” he added.
The Defense secretary told reporters no secretary of War or Defense had ever been impeached for carrying out lawful military operations, which he described as successful.
Vice President JD Vance also dismissed the effort, arguing on X that impeachment had become a substitute for policymaking.
“Has Pete Hegseth committed impeachable crimes?” he tweeted calling the question “absurd” and the answer obviously no.
Vance argued lawmakers already have ways to register policy disagreements without trying to remove Cabinet officials.
“Rather than use them, they’re going to try to impeach Pete Hegseth,” he continued. “They did the same to Donald Trump. Legislation is hard. Impeachments are easy (and ultimately, inconsequential).”
Vance pointed out that lawmakers were angriest with the Defense secretary over repositioning forces away from Europe and Ukraine and reorganizing the military’s general officer corps.
He maintained that the dispute was ultimately about the Pentagon chief taking on the department bureaucracy.
Democrats, meanwhile, made clear that the defeat of Massie’s resolution did not end their criticism of the Pentagon chief.
Sen. Mark Kelly called him “a disaster” during an appearance on CNN and blamed him for the war in Iran, saying he should never have been given the job.
“Yeah, I think he needs to go.” he remarked when asked whether Hegseth should be impeached. “He should have never had the job to begin with. He wasn’t qualified for the job. He should have been fired multiple times.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal called Hegseth a “war criminal” and accused him of violating congressional war powers and presiding over unnecessary civilian casualties.
“This is not about policy disagreements,” she added. The Washington Democrat stated that Congress holds the constitutional power over war and accused Hegseth of ignoring the War Powers Resolution.
Jayapal also said she would be a “hard yes” on impeachment.
President Donald Trump celebrated the House vote Tuesday evening and portrayed the result as vindication for Hegseth.
“Again, Victories in Venezuela and Iran, the Best Recruitment Numbers in the History of the Military (Long waiting lists to get in!) and Spirit like rarely seen before, led to the EXONERATION of a Great American Patriot,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The Pentagon also declared the vote a “total victory” and dismissed Massie’s case as a political exercise without merit, evidence or seriousness.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the impeachment case collapsed against Hegseth’s record and accused Massie and his allies of choosing grandstanding over governing.
He said the department would not indulge what it viewed as a “political exercise devoid of merit, evidence, or seriousness,” and expected the impeachment effort to end in committee.
“We will not indulge the political theater driven by a disgruntled soon-to-be former congressman and others who have chosen grandstanding over governing,” Parnell said. “We look forward to ending this sham impeachment in the committee room, where facts will continue to prevail and this distraction can be put to rest.”
The fight may not be over for long. Sen. Ted Cruz predicted Monday that Hegseth would likely face impeachment once Democrats take control of the House unless the Defense secretary resigns or Trump fires him.
Cruz said one of two things would happen after Democrats take control of the House. Hegseth would either resign or be fired by Trump, he predicted, or the House would likely impeach him.
The Texas senator also anticipated that a Democratic-led Senate could spend weeks or months on a trial focused heavily on opposition to the Iran war.
