House Democrats plan to introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of war crimes tied to the Iran war, abuse of power and mismanagement at the Pentagon.
Democrats Escalate Long-Shot Impeachment Push
Reported first by Axios, Democrats unveiled six articles in an effort that is expected to fail in the Republican-controlled House, but highlights how Hegseth has become a central Democratic target in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress, is set to introduce the resolution. Eight Democrats are listed as co-sponsors, including Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Dave Min (D-Calif.) and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.).
Resolution Targets Iran War And Signal
Ansari announced last week that she would move to impeach Hegseth, calling him “complicit” in Trump’s “devastating, illegal war” in Iran. Axios said the first article accuses Hegseth of violating his oath of office through an “unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members,” while other counts accuse him of violations of the law of armed conflict, negligence in handling sensitive information, obstruction of congressional oversight and abuse of power.
The negligence claim centers on Hegseth’s use of Signal on his personal phone to discuss a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen, a controversy that exploded after Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the chat. A Pentagon inspector general report later found that Hegseth’s sharing of strike timing and aircraft details on his personal device violated department rules and created operational-security risks, though the Pentagon and Hegseth cast the findings as a “total exoneration.”
The resolution also accuses Hegseth of withholding information from Congress about military operations in Iran, Venezuela and other theaters, and of using his office for political retaliation. Thanedar had already filed impeachment articles against Hegseth in December amid outrage over Caribbean strikes that drew war-crimes accusations from some Democrats.
Pentagon Rejects Claims As Political Stunt
The administration dismissed the new impeachment drive. Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement shared with The Hill that it was “just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President’s objectives in Iran,” adding, “This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War.”
Photo Courtesy: Philip Yabut on Shutterstock.com
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