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A Democrat who missed the vote to impeach Pete Hegseth has been slammed online after posting a video apologizing — and blaming her tardiness on traffic.
The effort to impeach the Defense Secretary for “high crimes and misdemeanors” over the war in Iran and bombing alleged drug boats in the Caribbean failed in the House after a 211-204 vote on Tuesday. Eleven Democrats were among the 18 lawmakers who did not vote on the move.
Democratic Reps. Julia Brownley, Lou Correa, Lauren Gillen, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Nancy Pelosi, Brittany Pettersen, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Frederica Wilson and Melanie Stansbury were all recorded as not voting.
Stansbury, a Democratic representative from New Mexico, issued an initial explanation for her absence Tuesday evening, writing on X, “Like other Members of Congress, Rep. Stansbury was blocked from entering the Capitol to vote due to a traffic incident and a police escort of a bus during the vote.”
The Democrat later released a four-minute-long apology video on Wednesday, writing: “I am genuinely and sincerely sorry. But this is not the end — it is just the beginning.”
“Let me start by saying I am so sorry,” Stansbury says in the video.
