A senior House Democrat has announced he will file formal articles of impeachment against US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of "murder and conspiracy to murder" and the reckless mishandling of classified information.
Two Articles of Impeachment Filed
In a video posted on social media on Friday 5 December 2025, Michigan Representative Shri Thanedar laid out his case. He stated the first article relates to deadly military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. The second article concerns the so-called "Signalgate" scandal, where Hegseth is accused of discussing sensitive war plans on a commercial messaging app.
"Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is uniquely unqualified for his role," Thanedar asserted. "Every day, it becomes clearer he is engaging in unlawful, illegal activity." He concluded his statement by saying, "Pete Hegseth must be brought to justice."
The 'Fog of War' and a Fatal Double-Tap
The impeachment push follows intense scrutiny of a specific incident on 2 September. US Southern Command reported a strike on an alleged narco-boat, which officials said killed four people, bringing the total fatalities from the operation to at least 86. Admiral Frank "Mitch" Bradley was summoned to Capitol Hill to show footage of the strike to congressional committees.
Connecticut Democrat Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, emerged from the briefing visibly shaken, calling the video "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service." It was alleged that after the initial strike, Hegseth ordered a second missile strike when two survivors were spotted in the water. Hegseth has defended the decision, citing the "fog of war" and insisting the admiral acted within his authority.
Signalgate and Bipartisan Pressure
The second impeachment article stems from a scandal that first erupted in March. The Pentagon's Office of Inspector General published a report on Wednesday concluding Hegseth violated policy by using the Signal app to discuss planned actions against Houthi rebels in Yemen, potentially putting US pilots at risk. The error was compounded when The Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to the group chat and published the plans.
Appearing on Fox News, Thanedar called for bipartisan action, urging Republicans to judge the case on its merits. "War crimes have been committed," he stated. The Pentagon swiftly dismissed the impeachment effort. Spokesperson Kingsley Wilson called it "another charade" to distract from the department's successes, adding that Hegseth would continue to focus on protecting the homeland.
