11 House Dems missed the Hegseth impeach vote

[0:00] On this vote, the yeas are 2-11, the nays are 2-0-4. [0:08] The motion is adopted. [0:12] The motion to reconsider is laid on the table. [0:16] And that is the sound of renegade Republican Thomas Massey's effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth failing. [0:22] 211 Republicans tonight killed it. [0:24] 11 Democrats, including House Speaker Emberta and Nancy Pelosi, did not vote. [0:28] Seven Republican members, you see them there, also did not vote. [0:31] None of the 211 Republicans who did vote to block impeachment stood with Massey. [0:37] So what are Democrats saying about why a bunch of their members did not show up for this vote? [0:42] Well, we're still learning about that, Anderson. [0:44] In fact, Democratic leaders, when they came off the floor, [0:46] they were uncertain why some of their members didn't make it. [0:48] Sometimes members are doing other things, and they just simply don't make it to the floor [0:52] in time for a vote. [0:54] And Republicans are still in control of the House chamber, [0:57] and they can gavel close a vote really at any time [1:00] when they have the requisite number of votes. [1:02] And that seems to have been what happened here. [1:05] But there was serious frustration within the ranks [1:09] when I talked to a number of Democrats afterwards [1:11] because they thought they had a chance of succeeding, [1:13] and this could have kicked the effort over to the United States Senate [1:16] if they were able to pass these articles of impeachment. [1:19] The Senate would have to consider a trial. [1:21] A trial seemed very possible to at least happen, [1:23] meaning they could tie up the Senate floor, [1:25] and even though there were not the votes to convict Pete Hexet, [1:30] that could at least be a distraction of sorts [1:32] from the remaining weeks of the Republican-controlled Congress. [1:36] And I caught up with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on this issue, [1:40] and she made very clear she thought some of those Democrats [1:43] should have made it to the floor in time for the vote. [1:45] I mean, the people send us here to do a job. [1:50] I can't speak to—I don't know if anyone had any real health issues [1:55] or anything significant to that respect, [1:59] so I want to leave room for that. [2:01] But that being said, at the end of the day, we're here to do a job. [2:04] And the same way I had a clock in when I worked at a restaurant, [2:07] we got a clock in and do our work here. [2:11] But, again, I don't know if anyone had any outstanding health issues, [2:15] and I want to keep room for that as well. [2:16] And you want this to be a top priority, [2:18] the Hexet impeachment of the new Congress? [2:20] Well, hopefully we don't even have to wait for the new Congress. [2:22] I think that should we have the appropriate numbers, [2:26] Massey could bring it again, or anyone else. [2:30] So, actually, Thomas Massey just told reporters Anderson [2:33] as he walked off the floor that, in quote, this is done. [2:36] His efforts to try to impeach Pete Hexet are done for this Congress. [2:41] But any member could resurrect this in any certain way [2:44] because it's what's known as privilege in the United States House, [2:47] meaning they can actually force this vote in the House, [2:50] which means that if it doesn't come up this year, [2:52] it could certainly come up again next year. [2:54] And you heard from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, [2:56] she's not the only one. [2:57] Other Democrats want to go after Pete Hexet. [2:59] They want to go after other cabinet officials, [3:01] like RFK Jr., Cash Patel, [3:04] some even pushing to impeach Donald Trump himself. [3:07] And that's what Hakeem Jeffries, [3:09] when he becomes Speaker, [3:10] assuming he gets the votes to become Speaker, [3:12] which everyone pretty much expects that he will, [3:14] he'll have to prioritize who to go after, [3:17] when, what investigations to launch, [3:19] and make sure it does not distract [3:20] from their key parts of their agenda, [3:22] which is about affordability, [3:24] the reason why Democrats say that they are now in power. [3:28] Anderson. [3:28] Manu Raju, thanks very much. [3:29] My next guest is Democratic Congresswoman Chrissy Houlihan, [3:32] an Air Force veteran [3:33] who sits on the House Armed Services [3:34] and Intelligence Committees. [3:36] Last year, she came under fire from the president [3:37] and for participating in this video, [3:39] informing service members [3:40] it was their duty to refuse illegal orders. [3:43] She had this to say about Secretary Hegseth earlier today. [3:47] Since the day he was nominated, [3:49] I have been clear, [3:50] Secretary Hegseth is not qualified for this job. [3:54] Unfortunately for our nation and for our people, [3:58] he has literally signaled and doubled down [4:00] on that incompetence ever since day one. [4:03] He is not a serious man. [4:05] He is not a capable man. [4:07] And our nation deserves a real Secretary of Defense [4:11] who will not be laughed out of every room in the Pentagon. [4:15] And Congresswoman Houlihan joins me now. [4:17] Thanks for being with us. [4:19] Do you have any idea why these 11 Democrats didn't show up? [4:22] I mean, the Republicans as well didn't show up, [4:25] but isn't it somebody's job to count the votes ahead of time [4:29] to know what's going to happen? [4:32] Sure. [4:32] And first of all, thank you for having me tonight. [4:35] It is, as Alex Ocasio-Cortez said, [4:40] part of my job to be there and to show up for votes. [4:43] And certainly, barring some sort of medical issue, [4:46] it is a failure of duty to not show up for the vote, [4:50] especially something as important as this. [4:53] And so I think there are different reasons, [4:55] my understanding for why various Democrats didn't show up. [4:58] But more importantly to me is the fact that my Republican colleagues, [5:02] and I have very good relationships with many of them, [5:05] disappointed me, those who did show up as well, [5:08] in the fact that they also did not support the impeachment of Secretary Hegseth. [5:13] And many of them, I know, in their hearts, [5:16] knew that it was the right thing to do to vote to impeach [5:18] or to vote to move this process forward. [5:21] And they didn't do that. [5:22] And that, I think, is every bit, if not more, of a disappointment to me [5:27] that they failed in their duty as well. [5:30] We should have Democratic Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury [5:33] just put out a statement saying she and other lawmakers [5:35] weren't able to get to the vote because of a traffic incident. [5:38] Obviously, the president's taking a victory lap. [5:40] He's still facing big Democratic majorities come January. [5:43] In the meantime, I mean, it's kind of a political gift to him. [5:46] Does Pete Hegseth come out stronger now from this? [5:50] I don't think so. [5:52] I think that what we as Democrats heading into a majority are responsible for [5:58] is, as Manu mentioned, two things. [6:01] One is affordability and making sure that we address what people were asking for [6:05] in the results of the election just a week ago. [6:08] And the other is accountability. [6:09] And we need to be able to do both of those things at the same time. [6:13] And to me, with a heavier emphasis on the affordability aspect [6:17] and a very strategic and tactical plan on the accountability. [6:21] And so how do we execute that? [6:23] And Alex Ocasio-Cortez mentioned this a little bit. [6:26] It needs to be with a plan. [6:28] It needs to be disciplined. [6:29] And I am almost hopeful that this is almost a gift to us as well, the fact that this failed [6:35] this time around. [6:36] Because remember, this impeachment is just literally like the grand jury getting together [6:41] and saying there's enough there there that we need a trial. [6:44] And so we move forward, or if we move forward with this particular impeachment process, then [6:49] we can organize what would be the trial that would be holding this particular part of the [6:54] administration accountable. [6:55] It's unclear how we will proceed in this. [6:59] What is it about Pete Hegseth that you think makes him inappropriate for this job? [7:06] Well, I can start with the fact that he's wholly unqualified. [7:10] But that's, of course, not my call to make because I'm part of the House and not the Senate [7:15] in terms of my ability to hire him, so to speak. [7:19] He also, I believe, is harming the warrior ethos, to be honest, in the fact that he is [7:27] acting against the will of the people. [7:30] He is these wars, the articles of impeachment that Mr. Massey put together, four or five of [7:35] them had to do with the fact that he was contravening or going against the will of the people in [7:39] the Congress. [7:39] He also is taking what could be extrajudiciary killings in the places like the Caribbean and [7:48] those kinds of places. [7:49] And so the list is long. [7:51] I mean, it's seven or eight versions of things that he could be impeached for. [7:55] And Mr. Massey just put those together in a series. [7:58] And it was our job to move that forward if we thought there was a there there, as I mentioned. [8:03] And it would be the Senate's job to see that in a hearing or a trial of sorts. [8:07] Let's do it.