House Democrats just helped kill an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a move seen as bad for accountability and good for Hegseth, Trump, and the pro-Israel lobby pushing to keep him in place.

• A procedural vote sent Thomas Massie's impeachment resolution to committee, effectively killing it, by a narrow margin.
• 11 Democrats skipped the vote entirely, several tied to AIPAC-linked donors and one AIPAC-funded event happening the same night.
• Hegseth is accused of ordering deadly strikes in Iran and unexplained boat strikes in the Caribbean; critics say Israel wants him kept in power to help restart the war with Iran.
• Trump and JD Vance publicly defended Hegseth, with Vance dismissing impeachment as political theater despite the war-crimes allegations.
• Democratic leadership deflected blame onto Republicans while ignoring their own members' absences, drawing accusations of corruption and self-interest.

Outlook: Democrats say they may revisit impeachment if they retake the House majority, but near-term accountability for Hegseth is dead.