GOP rejects Pete Hegseth impeachment efforts

And this news just came in from the House floor. We now know that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, those impeachment articles against him, the House decided to vote and they have voted now to stall the impeachment process. So we know that they have voted with. 211 yay votes to a 204 nay vote. What that means is this will now be referred to a committee and that slows that process for impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Now, I want to take you to the House floor just so you can see the numbers on your screen right now. But this is what's all unfolding live as we're speaking. So again, we know that. Eight articles of impeachment were introduced against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. They were actually introduced by Republican Thomas Massie. And we know today the House has voted now to refer this to a committee. So now this does stall that impeachment process. Important to note as well, though, that this is a lame duck session. So that new Congress that has been elected in what was called that blue tsunami does not go into office until January. So, again, this was a lame duck session. At one point, it was really close, those votes between the yay and nay. But again, the yay has won out. And that means that this will be referred to a committee. So now that impeachment process against Secretary of War. War. Pete Hegseth will now be delayed for the time being. In the meantime, we want to continue on that subject, talking about House leadership. You heard me mention the blue tsunami that happened with the midterm elections. And now House members, House Democrats spoke about the leadership changes. Let's go ahead and listen in to their press conference from earlier today. We're thrilled to be joined. The Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu, and the DCCC Chair, Susan DelBene. We just concluded just a little bit ago our caucus meeting, and when you decide to introduce every new member and you have historic margins like we do, it takes a little bit of time. There was a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm, very celebratory, people excited about what's ahead, the next steps, legislating. Getting their offices set up and bringing about true accountability and oversight, which is what is ahead, because one week ago the American people sent a very clear message. They're tired of rising prices, broken promises, and a government that puts billionaires over hard-working Americans. And they want Democrats to make a change. House Democrats heard them loud and clear, and we stand ready to deliver. Our agenda is focused on three priorities. Lowering costs, protecting health care, and rooting out corruption. Americans sent Democrats to Washington at historic levels. So, we would help make their lives more affordable. This means undoing Trump's costly tariffs and ending the reckless war of choice that is driving up gas prices. They also entrusted us to protect their health care. Democrats will reverse the cruel Medicaid cuts and restore the Affordable Care Act tax credits that kept insurance premiums low, because nobody should have to choose between seeing their doctor and paying their bills. And finally, we're going to hold the companies, government officials, and Trump administration accountable for making life harder and more expensive for working families. Our committee chairs will have the tools to investigate corruption and to ensure that no one is above the law. We can and will do it all, because this corruption is costing the American people. And we'll get it done with our Talented Caucus. In January, nearly 260 seats, Democrats, will be representing red districts, purple districts, urban, rural. Every corner of the country, our caucus will be made up of veterans, doctors, lawyers, farmers, firefighters, musicians, law enforcement officials, and we have a crisis negotiator I think as well. Thank you. Their different backgrounds and experiences will make our caucus and our country even stronger. I look forward to seeing how each of them inform and shape our legislative priorities and make sure that our agenda reflects the will of the American people. Because last week's victory wasn't about us, it was about the millions of Americans who made their voices heard, said it loud and clear. Make no mistake, Democrats will work every day to earn that trust that they have given us. Now, my honor to introduce the Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, Ted Lieu. Thank you, Chairman Aguilar. Last week, the American people delivered a clear repudiation of Donald Trump and Republicans and the MAGA agenda that they try to set forth into America. And this was done at the federal level, the state level, and the local level. We had an amazing caucus today, a hearing from all the new members and seeing the wonderful diversity they represent across all of America. I want to thank our amazing field general, Susan DelBene, for her incredible work last term, where we overperformed, and her amazing work this term, where we're going to have the largest caucus of Democrats since Watergate. The American people saw that gas prices were rising, health care costs were rising, and mortgage rates were rising. And what was Trump focused on? Putting his name on stuff, on coins, on passports, on buildings. You know what he was doing the day before the midterm elections? He was standing in front of the reflecting pool that he screwed up, talking about how it should be changed from Trump reflecting. You know what he was doing the day after the midterm elections? Talking about White House renovations, and the American people have said enough. They've had enough of this administration and the Republicans who enable it, and now they've ushered in this tremendous new majority for both the House and the Senate. And we look forward to working on behalf of the American people on two core themes, affordability and accountability. And now it's my great honor to introduce the amazing DCCC Chairwoman, Susan DelBene. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you to Chair Aguilar and Vice Chair Liu. I think that caucus might have been my favorite caucus of this entire Congress. Today in caucus, we introduced the incoming Democratic class of the 120th Congress, all over 80 of them, which took a little bit of time. And as I've said all cycle, our secret sauce is our candidates. Really amazing candidates, and after last week's results, I think the secret is out. Because of our great candidates, we have won 44 of our 66 offensive targets on our list. All of them have helped us get to this historic victory, which as of last night, we expect to reach the largest House majority of the 21st century. And as outgoing DCCC Chair, seeing all of them in one place for the first time was historic for our country, but also really special for me personally. You spend a little time with them and it's clear how extraordinary each and every one of them are. Why they had such crossover appeal in these swing districts and ultimately why voters in their districts trusted them to represent them in the halls of Congress. And I hope all of you will get the time to get to know as many of them as you can and will be as impressed as I am. They bring different professional backgrounds, life experiences, and yes, personalities to our caucus and the Congress, but they share a very common passion, a common passion to deliver for their communities, especially those folks who have been struggling to get by as a result of the failed policies Republicans put in place. This results-first approach by our new members is both refreshing and needed after the last few years of this Republican rule where we've seen nothing but rising costs, chaos, and corruption. And amongst the incoming freshmen from battleground seats that flipped from red to blue, we have a class that... Genuinely, genuinely believes their job is to represent all of their constituents. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, they are representatives, not rubber stamps and that's why they run. Their constituents trust them to look past partisan bickering and focus on what matters most, improving the lives of hardworking families back home. They are mission-driven and their mission-driven approach to service is how battleground candidates were able to win and over perform in 2024, with virtually all of them winning in districts won by Trump. In fact, at least 28 of them were elected in districts Trump won by double digits. Overperforming by that much requires candidates who are able to speak authentically to the issues that matter, reflecting the needs of their communities. You have been listening in to House Democrats discussing the future of party leadership for the Democrats following that blue tsunami from the midterm elections. But we want to continue to get you updated on the breaking news that the impeachment effort against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has been killed by House Republicans. The only Republican to vote to continue with with the impeachment process was Republican. Republican Thomas Massie, who also introduced those eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth. But again, we now know that that impeachment effort has been killed for now. It's going to be referred to a committee, which ultimately slows down the process. We're going to step away now for a quick two minute break. We'll have more news for you right after that.