US Republicans derail bid to impeach Pentagon chief

Washington, United States: Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday blocked an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the Iran war, handing President Donald Trump a victory days after his party’s crushing midterm election defeat.

The House voted 211 to 204 to send the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee, effectively derailing a planned vote Wednesday on whether to bring formal charges against the embattled Pentagon chief.

The resolution was introduced by Republican Thomas Massie, a Trump critic who was the only member of his party to oppose the procedural maneuver, according to US media.

The impeachment drive had threatened to deepen Trump’s troubles after Democrats swept last week’s midterms, with anger at the sputtering Iran war and soaring fuel prices helping drive voters to a…