House Democrats have filed six articles of impeachment against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanours” over actions including an attack on Iran without congressional authorisation and deadly strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats.
The resolution, introduced on Wednesday by Democratic Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari of Arizona and colleagues including John Larson of Connecticut, alleges Hegseth disregarded rules designed to minimise civilian casualties. The move follows a New York Times report suggesting the US may have been responsible for a March strike on a school in Iran that killed at least 175 people, including children.
Democrats also cited an increasing number of boat strikes in the Caribbean, where the military has characterised individuals on the vessels as “narco-terrorists”. Additionally, they accused Hegseth of compromising national security through careless conduct, referencing an incident where classified information was shared on the Signal messaging app in 2025. That episode involved The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief being added to a group chat about a planned airstrike on Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Further articles include Hegseth’s alleged efforts to withhold material facts about civilian casualties in Iran and Venezuela, an attempt to punish Senator Mark Kelly for reminding service members they can refuse illegal orders, and forcing transgender service members out of the military. “Pete Hegseth did not follow his oath to the US constitution,” Ansari said. “He committed a war crime in Iran with the attack on a school that killed over 160 children.”
Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson dismissed the impeachment articles as an attention-seeking charade, stating they were an attempt to distract from “major successes” at the Department of War. Given the Republican majorities in the Senate and House, the articles are unlikely to pass Congress.
