Democrats in Congress are initiating articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth due to a series of scandals that have nearly overshadowed his time as defense secretary.
A seven-page resolution, acquired by Axios, details at least five articles against the Pentagon chief concerning various issues, including purported war crimes, abuse of power, the legality of U.S. strikes on Iran, and the Signalgate scandal.
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Impeachment articles filed against Pete Hegseth by Democrats: 5 things to know
- Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), who is the first Iranian-American Democrat in Congress, is set to introduce the impeachment resolution against Hegseth. Last week, Ansari announced her intention to file articles of impeachment, which are highly unlikely to progress in the GOP-controlled House. She has accused Hegseth of being “complicit” in President Trump’s “devastating, illegal war” in Iran.
- Eight Democrats are co-sponsoring this longshot resolution: Reps. Steve Cohen (Tenn.), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), Nikema Williams (Ga.), Sarah McBride (Del.), Brittany Pettersen (Colo.), Dina Titus (Nev.), David Min (Calif.), and Shri Thanedar (Mich.).
- The first article of impeachment charges Hegseth with violating his oath of office by overseeing an “unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of US service members.” The resolution further accuses the secretary of committing war crimes by targeting civilians and violating the rules of armed conflict, in addition to the alleged mishandling of sensitive information. It specifically highlights a US Tomahawk missile strike that resulted in the deaths of numerous children at an Iranian school, along with Hegseth’s purported directive to “Kill them all” regarding airstrikes on suspected narcotrafficking vessels in the Caribbean.
- It also mentions Signalgate, the controversy surrounding the messaging application, where Hegseth disclosed sensitive military strike information to a group chat that included a journalist who had been unintentionally included. The third article of the resolution charges the Defense Secretary with “negligence and reckless” management of sensitive military data in relation to this issue, asserting that it “placed United States personnel at risk through this careless and improper conduct.”
- While a fourth allegation claims that Hegseth has participated in “obstruction of congressional oversight” by not providing “timely and complete information regarding military operations” to the House, the fifth article criticizes the defense secretary for actions that bring disrepute to the United States and its armed forces.
