NEW YORK, November 12. /TASS/. The failed bid to impeach US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has deepened divisions within the Democratic Party, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports.

Democrats are blaming one another for the failed effort and voicing frustration over the lack of party unity, the newspaper notes. Eleven Democrats were absent from the vote, and their votes could have been enough to change the outcome. Lawmakers cited traffic delays, medical issues, and personal matters as reasons for their absence.

Representative Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from Texas, told the newspaper that voters elect lawmakers to make responsible decisions, which at the very least means showing up and voting on an issue as important as this one. He added that many Democrats were disappointed by the absence of some of their colleagues and described frustration within the party as widespread.

On Tuesday, the US House of Representatives voted to send the impeachment resolution against Hegseth to a congressional committee for review. Republicans, who hold a majority on the committee, are expected to block the resolution, preventing it from advancing before the current Congress ends.

On Monday, Representative Thomas Massie introduced a resolution calling for impeachment proceedings against Hegseth. At a news conference, Hegseth dismissed the lawmakers' effort to remove him from office as a farce. Many Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have expressed strong dissatisfaction with how Hegseth has handled the conflict between the United States and Iran. Democrats won the November 3 midterm elections. The 120th Congress, formed following the November elections, will convene on January 3, 2027.