WASHINGTON – The House dismissed an effort to impeach Pete Hegseth, handing the embattled Pentagon chief a significant victory even as he continues to face serious questions about his political future.

The House voted 211-204 to send the measure to the Judiciary Committee, effectively killing it.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, who introduced the articles of impeachment against Hegseth, was the sole Republican to vote in favor of proceeding with the effort.

Massie, an anti-war Republican and frequent thorn in the side of the Trump administration, argued that Hegseth violated the Constitution by waging war against Iran without congressional approval, launching deadly strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and ignoring laws to minimize civilian casualties.

The Kentucky Republican is set to exit Congress at the end of the year after losing his primary to a candidate backed by Hegseth and President Donald Trump.

Hegseth is one of the most controversial figures in Trump's Cabinet. He had to overcome concerns from several Republicans to be confirmed last year and has since become the public face of the deeply unpopular war with Iran.

At a press conference earlier on Nov. 10, Hegseth likened the bid to remove him from office to the two times the House voted to impeach Trump.

More: Why Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is facing impeachment

“Both times he came back stronger, and the American people sent him back to the White House,” Hegseth said. “Now they’re trying a third time, this time against a member of his Cabinet. They will fail again.”

“If standing with President Trump puts me in that company, I’ll take that company every day of the week,” he added.