As House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seeks to become speaker when Democrats retake Congress in January, critics questioned his leadership Tuesday after the Republican-led lower chamber effectively blocked a bid to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by just seven votes—an outcome that may have been averted if more Democrats showed up to vote.

The 211-204 procedural vote effectively torpedoed Congressman Thomas Massie’s attempt to impeach Hegseth by sending the outgoing Kentucky Republican’s resolution to the House Judiciary Committee, where it will likely gather dust during the remainder of the GOP-controlled congressional term.

The resolution seeks to impeach Hegseth for his role in waging President Donald Trump’s war on Iran in contravention of the War Powers Act and apparent war crimes committed by US forces in the conflict, including the February massacre of 156 people, at least 120 of them children, in a missile strike on an elementary school in the southern city of Minab.

Massie’s resolution also accuses Hegseth of “extrajudicial killings of at least 221 persons aboard seagoing vessels alleged to be smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, principally in international waters” as part of Trump’s boat-bombing spree; the invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife; waging an illegal war on Yemen that has killed hundreds of civilians; and suppressing free speech at the Pentagon.

The 11 Democrats who were not present for the vote are: Julia Brownley (Calif.), Lou Correa (Calif.), Laura Gillen (NY), Steven Horsford (Nev.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Brittany Pettersen (Colo.), Melanie Stansbury (NM), Haley Stevens (Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (Wash.), and Frederica Wilson (Fla.). Correa is recovering from an undisclosed medical procedure and cannot travel.

Seven Republicans also did not vote. Observers noted there was a chance for Democrats to keep Massie’s impeachment bid alive if more of them attended the session and voted.

Jeffries (D-NY)—who backs impeaching Hegseth—“didn’t think it was important to make sure 11 Democrats didn’t skip the Hegseth impeachment vote,” author Jared Yates Sexton wrote on Bluesky.

Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez accused Democrats of having “a serious leadership problem.”

Zeteo reporter Prem Thakker wrote on social media that Jeffries “is arguing that he should be the leader of the Democrats—and then, as the current leader, he couldn’t get enough Democrats to show up to impeach Pete Hegseth.”

On Tuesday morning, Hegseth brushed off the impeachment attempt as a “farce” and “political spectacle.”

“None of these are high crimes or misdemeanors,” he said of the allegations against him. “They’re partisan policy disagreements from people who want to politicize our military.”

Hegseth also said he “stand[s] behind every one of” the massacres and killings listed in the resolution, and that he "was proud to execute them, and… would do it again tomorrow.”

Asked by Politico’s Riley Rogerson about the 11 Democrats’ absence, Jeffries said: “I haven’t had a conversation with anyone on the floor team about what may or may not have happened in terms of the Hegseth resolution, but this is not the end of it. It’s just the beginning.”

While numerous Democrats said they would renew efforts to impeach Hegseth once they’re in control of Congress, many observers pointed to Tuesday’s vote as further evidence that new party leadership is needed.

“Jeffries didn’t even whip the vote. He told people to ‘vote their conscience,’ and 11 members of his caucus didn’t show up,” writer Laura Bassett wrote on social media. “This is why people want a stronger leader.”

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