House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" tied to military operations in Iran, the Caribbean, and mishandling of classified information. Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress, introduced the resolution alongside eight Democratic co-sponsors including Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Nikema Williams of Georgia, Dina Titus of Nevada, David Min of California, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, and Sarah McBride of Delaware.
The centerpiece of the impeachment resolution focuses on the U.S. bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, which killed at least 160 children according to Ansari's account. The New York Times reported that a March strike may have left at least 175 individuals dead, including children. Ansari told reporter Pablo Manríquez that Hegseth "committed a war crime in Iran with the attack on a school that killed over 160 children."
The first article accuses Hegseth of "unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members," charging that he launched strikes without congressional approval and signed off on plans involving extreme and unnecessary risk to personnel, including consideration of ground operations in Iran.
Article Two addresses "violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians," alleging that Hegseth authorized, condoned, or failed to prevent operations resulting in large numbers of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure. The resolution cites not only the Minab school bombing but also reports of double tap strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean, where the military has repeatedly characterized individuals on the vessels as "narco-terrorists."
Article Three targets "negligence and reckless handling of sensitive military information," referring to an episode in 2025 when Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat where Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussed strikes in Yemen. The articles charge that Hegseth demonstrated gross negligence and placed U.S. personnel at risk through careless and improper conduct.
Article Four accuses Hegseth of "obstruction of Congressional Oversight," alleging he failed to provide timely and complete information regarding military operations and withheld material facts relating to civilian casualties and operational conduct in Iran, Venezuela, and other military theaters.
Article Five charges "conduct bringing disrepute upon the United States and its armed forces," citing his role in implementing the Trump administration's socially conservative military policies, including criticism of NATO, rolling back of diversity and affirmative action programs, and restrictions against transgender service members.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson rejected the impeachment articles in a statement, saying Hegseth "will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength." Wilson characterized the move as "just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War."
Hegseth is "a national security risk to the United States," Ansari told Manríquez, calling him "this absolute clown, this former Fox News, not even a real anchor." She urged colleagues to join the impeachment effort, saying "if this absolute clown continues in his position, there will be more."
The resolution has backing from progressive and anti-war groups including MoveOn, Indivisible, and the Center for International Policy.
The impeachment articles face virtually no chance of passage in the current Congress. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and removal requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate.
House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" tied to military operations in Iran, the Caribbean, and mishandling of classified information. Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress, introduced the resolution alongside eight Democratic co-sponsors including Reps. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Nikema Williams of Georgia, Dina Titus of Nevada, David Min of California, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, and Sarah McBride of Delaware.
The centerpiece of the impeachment resolution focuses on the U.S. bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, which killed at least 160 children according to Ansari's account. The New York Times reported that the March strike left at least 175 individuals dead, including children. Ansari told reporter Pablo Manríquez that Hegseth "committed a war crime in Iran with the attack on a school that killed over 160 children."
The first article accuses Hegseth of "unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members," charging that he launched strikes without congressional approval and signed off on plans involving extreme and unnecessary risk to personnel, including consideration of ground operations in Iran.
Article Two addresses "violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians," alleging that Hegseth authorized, condoned, or failed to prevent operations resulting in large numbers of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure. The resolution cites not only the Minab school bombing but also reports of double tap strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean, where the military has repeatedly characterized individuals on the vessels as "narco-terrorists."
Article Three targets "negligence and reckless handling of sensitive military information," referring to an episode in 2025 when Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat where Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe discussed strikes in Yemen. The articles charge that Hegseth demonstrated gross negligence and placed U.S. personnel at risk through careless and improper conduct.
Article Four accuses Hegseth of "obstruction of Congressional Oversight," alleging he failed to provide timely and complete information regarding military operations and withheld material facts relating to civilian casualties and operational conduct in Iran, Venezuela, and other military theaters.
Article Five charges "conduct bringing disrepute upon the United States and its armed forces," citing his role in implementing the Trump administration's socially conservative military policies, including criticism of NATO, rolling back of diversity and affirmative action programs, and restrictions against transgender service members.
Article Six addresses Hegseth's attempt to punish Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, for reminding service members that they can refuse illegal orders.
Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson rejected the impeachment articles in a statement, saying Hegseth "will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength." Wilson characterized the move as "just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War."
Ansari directly challenged this framing, telling Manríquez that Hegseth is "a national security risk to the United States" and calling him "this absolute clown, this former Fox News, not even a real anchor." She urged colleagues to join the impeachment effort, saying "if this absolute clown continues in his position, there will be more."
The resolution has backing from progressive and anti-war groups including MoveOn, Indivisible, and the Center for International Policy.
The impeachment articles face virtually no chance of passage in the current Congress. Republicans control both the House and Senate, and removal requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate. The move represents Democrats' continued focus on Cabinet-level officials, following previous impeachment efforts against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom were ousted by President Trump in recent months.
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