Pete Hegseth impeachment effort dies in the House as absent Democrats couldn’t beat the traffic

The House voted 211-204 to send articles seeking Pete Hegseth’s impeachment to the Judiciary Committee, effectively ending the effort led by Representative Thomas Massie. Republicans blocked a direct vote on impeachment, and the narrow result meant that 11 absent Democrats may have helped prevent a vote that could have passed.

The vote was initially tied at 204-204, which would have failed and triggered a vote on impeachment, but several Republicans arrived before it closed. The article says four switched votes could have produced impeachment by 208-207; it estimates that eight of the absent Democrats would have made the result 212-211. Some Democrats blamed traffic and a police motorcade, while critics argued that lawmakers could have found a way to reach the Capitol.