House Democrats have filed six articles of impeachment against the US secretary of war accusing him of abuse of power, war crimes, and other wrongdoing
A US lawmaker has introduced six articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over actions tied to the war on Iran.
The resolution, submitted earlier this week by Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari and backed by eight Democratic co-sponsors and several anti-war groups, outlines six charges, including violating the oath of office, endangering US service members, and committing war crimes.
One of the articles focuses on alleged violations of the laws of war. Hegseth is accused of authorizing or failing to prevent operations that resulted in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in Iran, including a school in Minab, where at least 175 people – mostly children – were killed in a strike on February 28. The Pentagon has reportedly determined that US forces carried out the strike based on outdated intelligence but has yet to apologize.
Another set of allegations is tied to the so-called ‘Signalgate’ leak, as well as claims that Hegseth obstructed congressional oversight. Lawmakers argue that he withheld full information on military operations from Congress, limiting its ability to conduct proper supervision.
The resolution also accuses Hegseth of abuse of power and the politicization of the armed forces. It alleges that he used his position to influence military decisions for political purposes and undermined the principle of nonpartisanship in the armed forces. In addition, he is accused of actions that damaged the reputation of the US and its military forces.
“Only Congress can declare war,” Ansari, the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress, said on Wednesday in a post on X, adding that Hegseth’s “actions demand immediate removal.”
Axios, which first obtained a copy of the seven-page impeachment resolution, noted that the measure has virtually no chance of advancing in the current Congress, where Republicans control the House of Representatives and can block any effort to bring the articles to a floor vote. The initiative is reportedly being viewed as an effort to intensify political pressure on one of President Donald Trump’s most senior cabinet officials, even if it is unlikely to result in Hegseth’s removal from office.
Democrats have recently pushed, unsuccessfully, to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Commenting on the latest step, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told the news outlet: “This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President’s objectives in Iran.”
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