House lawmakers will leave Washington on Wednesday night for the last time before the November midterm elections, after GOP leaders said they were canceling votes set for Thursday.
\n\nThe change in schedule means that the House won’t vote on Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky’s resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth until after Election Day.
\n\nGOP leaders insisted their decision had nothing to do with Massie’s impeachment efforts. But they were eager to avoid a difficult vote for many of their vulnerable Republican members who have been uneasy with Hegseth’s leadership during the unpopular six-month war with Iran.
\n\nTalking to reporters Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., slammed the Massie impeachment effort as “ridiculous” and defended Hegseth.
\n\n“It’s a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. It will immediately be tabled, of course. … We’ll probably do it when we come back, but it’s a stunt,” Johnson said (tabling would effectively kill the measure). “Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job, the Department of War. We’re in the middle of international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security.”
\n\nIn a surprise move Tuesday, Massie filed a resolution to impeach Hegseth as “privileged,” meaning the…
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