Democrats file articles of impeachment against Hegseth for ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ | Trump administration
House Democrats filed six articles of impeachment On Wednesday, he accused the defense security of “high crimes and misdemeanors” against Pete Hegseth, citing the attack on Iran without Congressional authorization and deadly attacks on suspected drug-smuggling boats, among other official actions.
The move comes as the Trump administration faces increasing scrutiny over recent foreign actions, particularly the war with Iran.
In Wednesday’s resolution, his colleagues, including Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic congressman from Arizona, and John Larson of Connecticut, accused Hegseth of ignoring rules intended to minimize civilian casualties during armed conflict.
According to a New York Times report, the United States may be responsible for the attack on a school in Iran in March, which killed at least 175 people, including children.
House Democrats also noted the increasing number of boat attacks in the Caribbean. The military has repeatedly tried to portray the people on the ships as “narco terrorists.”
House Democrats also accused Hegseth of endangering national security through “reckless and inappropriate conduct,” citing a 2025 episode on Signal in which classified information was shared.
The defense secretary was embroiled in controversy last year after The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal group chat about a planned airstrike on Houthi fighters in Yemen. Hegseth, vice president J.D. Vance and CIA director John Ratcliffe also took part in the conversation.
The articles also describe Hegesth’s “efforts to conceal material facts regarding civilian casualties and operational management in Iran and Venezuela”; an attempt to punish senator Mark Kelly, a retired U.S. Navy captain, for reminding soldiers that they could refuse illegal orders; and removing transgender soldiers from the military.
“Pete Hegseth did not fulfill his oath to the US Constitution,” Ansari said he told reporter Pablo Manríquez. “He committed a war crime with the attack on a school in Iran that killed more than 160 children. So not only do we need to end this war, but we also need to hold accountable and prosecute anyone within the U.S. administration who may have committed war crimes.”
“Pete Hegseth is committing a crime and breaking his oath,” Ansari added. “So if this former Fox News clown, who isn’t even a real anchor, continues his job, I have no doubt that we will get more support and more support, and I urge my colleagues to join me. He poses a national security risk to the United States.”
Pentagon spokesman Kingsley Wilson dismissed the articles of impeachment as an attention-grabbing bid.
“This is yet another ploy to distract the American people from the great accomplishments we have achieved here at the War Department,” Wilson said in a statement to Axios.
Given the Republican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, articles of impeachment are unlikely to clear Congress.
