'Shame on Folks Who Are Not Here': Democrat Blasts Absences as House Stalls Hegseth Impeachment Vote

The US House voted 211–204 on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, to refer a resolution seeking the impeachment of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee, delaying an immediate vote on the articles.

Democratic Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove criticised colleagues who were absent, saying the vote should not have been lost 'because of attendance issues'.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles alleging constitutional and legal violations related to US military operations, particularly the war in Iran. Hegseth rejected the allegations and described the effort as a political spectacle driven by policy disagreements.

The referral was a procedural decision and did not determine whether the allegations were justified. The House could consider the articles again through further action.

Pete Hegseth Impeachment Vote Sparks Attendance Row

The House Clerk recorded 18 members who did not vote: 11 Democrats and seven Republicans. The motion passed by seven votes, with 210 Republicans and one independent supporting referral. Massie was the only Republican to oppose it, joining 203 Democrats.

Had all 11 absent Democrats voted against referral, the motion would have failed 211–215. That is a hypothetical calculation, not evidence of how each member would have voted. Nor would defeating the referral motion, by itself, have meant the House had impeached Hegseth.

Speaking to MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manríquez in a video circulated on X, Kamlager-Dove criticised colleagues who missed the vote.

'We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote,' she said.

'There is no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues,' she added, before declaring: 'So shame on folks who are not here.'

Kamlager-Dove also called Hegseth 'pathetic Pete' and said he should have been impeached 'a long time ago'. Her comments were her view of the allegations; the referral vote made no finding on them.

Democrats Explain Pete Hegseth Impeachment Absences

Several absent lawmakers disputed the suggestion that they had simply failed to attend, saying they were delayed on their way to the chamber before the roll call ended.

New Mexico Representative Melanie Stansbury said on X that a traffic incident and a police-escorted bus had prevented her from entering the Capitol during the vote. She said proceedings had ended by the time she arrived and that she submitted her intended 'no' vote to the Congressional Record.

Illinois Representative Jonathan L. Jackson also said a traffic incident and police escort delayed him while he was heading to oppose the referral. He said he later recorded his intended opposition in the Congressional Record and maintained that Hegseth should be impeached.

New York Representative Laura Gillen said she had been delayed by the same police escort. She wrote on X that she would have voted against referral and supported impeachment.

The three lawmakers' statements explain why they said they missed the vote, but do not independently verify the reported delays or account for every absence. Their intended votes, entered after the roll call, did not change the result. All three remained listed as not voting.

President Donald Trump welcomed the outcome on Truth Social, calling Massie 'a major LOSER' and claiming the result amounted to Hegseth's exoneration. The House, however, had voted only on referral, not on whether to impeach the defence secretary.