Democrats lash out at no-show colleagues after Hegseth survives impeachment push

Democrats lash out at no-show colleagues after Hegseth survives impeachment push ‘People should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote,’ said California Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove after resolution against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fails to pass - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in House Democrats have voiced their frustration after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth managed to escape impeachment Tuesday, lashing out at their colleagues who were not present for a key vote on his future. Rebel Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie had filed articles of impeachment against Hegseth Monday, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanors” for waging the war with Iran without first securing congressional approval and of carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean by bombing alleged drug boats. However, with the chamber’s GOP majority still in place until January, the House voted 211-204 to pass the matter onto the Republican-led Judiciary Committee, where it is all but certain to languish – at least until the new year, when the Democrat-led 120th Congress is sworn in. While the outcome represented a huge relief for the secretary and a much-needed win for President Donald Trump, who was quick to crow about it on Truth Social, the opposition was left to rue the 11 absent members of its caucus who might have made the difference. Speaking on the steps of the Capitol to CNN reporter Manu Raju immediately after the vote, a clearly frustrated New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said of her absent colleagues: “The people send us here to do a job... I don’t know if anyone had any real health issues or anything significant [in] that respect, so I want to leave room for that but, that being said, at the end of the day we’re here to do a job. “And the same way I had to clock in when I worked at a restaurant, we’ve got to clock in and do our work here.” California Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove was equally annoyed, telling MeidasTouch reporter Pablo Manriquez: “We knew that this vote was coming, so people should have gotten their raggedy selves up these steps to vote. There is no reason why we should have lost this vote because of attendance issues.” She went on to mock Hegseth over the defiant Pentagon press briefing he had delivered Tuesday morning insisting the process was nothing more than a “political spectacle” driven by Massie, whom he called a “disgruntled and defeated congressman.” “You know this man should not be in this position,” Kamlager-Dove said, addressing Republicans. “That’s why he got up at 8 o’clock in the morning with his sorry self to plea to the American people. “So shame on folks who are not here. Because these people lost. They lost, and they still found a way to show up to table this bill. Shameful.” Michigan senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed, one of the stars of last week’s midterms triumph for Democrats, was asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins what he would say to the absent representatives. “You should show up and do your job,” he answered simply. El-Sayed also had a personal message for the secretary, saying directly into the camera as though addressing him directly: “Pete – it’s just an open question – why are you still doing this job? “You are really bad at this. You are failing your responsibility, you have mishandled this war, and nobody really actually understands what it is you’re about. Everyday you’re talking about fighting a new culture war but, like, you’re supposed to be waging an actual war that’s actually illegal on its own terms. “So, just resign. Make it easy for everybody instead of, in the end, getting taken out because that is clearly what’s happening. Pete, just take it from me, you’re not good at this.” Axios reporter Andrew Solender was able to cast some light on why the 11 Democrats were missing in action, writing on X that several House members had told him that a number of their colleagues “were on their way back from an Elect Democratic Women event at a venue about 1.5 miles down Pennsylvania Ave but got caught in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam on Independence Ave. (the road on the House side of the Capitol complex). “Some members found other ways to get back to the Capitol because their cars were effectively stopped on the road. One got out and walked. Another got dropped off on the Senate side to avoid the traffic.” On the right, the outcome was met with gloating from Jesse Watters on Fox News and was cheered by Trump, who called Massie “a major LOSER” and warned that Democrats will “continue to weaponize and abuse the United States of America” Interestingly, Senate Majority Leader John Thune was asked if he retained confidence in Hegseth and withheld a ringing endorsement, saying only: “I think it’s up to the president. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments