Democrats castigate their absent peers, allowing Republicans to crush Hegseth’s impeachment attempt | Pete Hegseth

Democratic lawmakers expressed outrage at nearly a dozen of their colleagues for missing a vote Tuesday night to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, allowing Republicans to crush the effort.

Eleven Democrats missed the key procedural vote on the impeachment attempt, which failed by just seven votes. Some blamed traffic and conflicting events, while others accused Speaker Mike Johnson of closing the vote early. Many of those not at the Capitol said they supported efforts to impeach Hegseth.

“You should show up and do your job,” Abdul El-Sayed, the Michigan senator-elect, told Democratic lawmakers on CNN on Tuesday.

North Carolina Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda told CNN that Democratic representatives “failed” by not voting.

“Shame on them for not showing up,” Ojeda said Tuesday. “I mean, it’s important…they had a chance to finally get rid of this antics that we had.” »

Missing Democrats gave House Republicans the numbers to halt impeachment efforts by voting 211-204 to refer eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth to a House committee.

Speaking at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Veterans Day, Donald Trump praised Hegseth and said he had done a “fantastic job” leading the Pentagon.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen,” the president said of the failed effort to impeach Hegseth, adding, “He loves you and he protects you – he only thinks about you.” »

The articles, introduced by Republican Thomas Massie, included accusations of violating Congressional authority by waging war in Iran. The effort came after voters overwhelmingly voted for Democratic candidates in the 2026 midterms, largely to rebuke the Trump administration’s policies — including the war in Iran.

Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a representative from California, told MeidasTouch that there was “no reason why we should have lost this vote due to turnout issues.”

“That’s what people are talking about… so shame on the people who weren’t there because those people lost,” Kamlager-Dove added.

Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico wrote on

“When she arrived in the House, the vote had just concluded. She immediately filed a report of her ‘NO’ vote on the motion to remove the articles of impeachment and refer them to the Judiciary Committee, as documented in the congressional record,” Stansbury wrote, adding that Hegseth “must be impeached now.”

New York’s Laura Gillen also wrote on X that she too was stuck in traffic, but she “strongly” believes Hegseth should be removed. Jonathan Jackson of Illinois wrote on X that he was also stuck behind traffic.

Brittany Pettersen of California wrote on X that she was “denied” the right to vote. A member of Pettersen’s office later told 9News that she, too, was stuck in traffic.

Julia Brownley of California wrote on Facebook that Johnson “closed the vote” before he could head to the House.

“As I and many of my colleagues rushed to the floor to support Hegseth’s impeachment, Mike Johnson closed the vote before we could do so,” Brownley wrote.

Marilyn Strickland of Washington also missed the vote by a minute because she was stuck behind a motorcade of motorcycles, but she would have voted to impeach Hegseth, Strickland’s office told Politico.

Nancy Pelosi of California missed the vote because she was in San Francisco to meet with local veterans and accept the Lifetime Advocate for Veterans Award, Pelosi’s spokesperson told SFGate.

Lou Correa, of California, wrote on Instagram that he was undergoing a medical procedure and staying in his district until he was medically cleared.

Steven Horsford of Nevada, Haley Stevens of Michigan and Frederica Wilson of Florida did not publicly provide reasons for their absence Tuesday.

Several Democratic lawmakers who voted on the effort to impeach Hegseth noted that they were also busy with other life events but went to the Capitol anyway.

Pat Ryan of New York wrote on X that he was recovering from back surgery but had left the hospital early to vote.