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 War Secretary Pete Hegseth over his actions related to the war on Iran.
The resolution, introduced earlier this week by Democratic Representative Yasmin Ansari and supported 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 failing to permit or prevent operations that resulted in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure in Iran, including at a school in Minab, where at least 15 people – mostly children – were killed in an attack on February 28. The Pentagon has reportedly determined that US forces carried out the attack based on old intelligence, but has not yet apologized.
Another set of allegations relate to the so-called ‘Signalgate’ leaks, as well as claims that Hegseth obstructed congressional oversight. Lawmakers argue that he withheld complete information about military operations from Congress, limiting its ability to exercise proper oversight.
The resolution also accuses Hegseth of abuse of power and politicization of the armed forces. It alleges that he used his position to influence military decisions for political purposes and undermined the principle of non-partisanship in the armed forces. Additionally, he is accused of actions that harmed the reputation of the United States and its military forces.
“Only Congress can declare war,” Ansari, the first Iranian American Democrat in Congress, said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday, adding Hegseth “The action demands 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 efforts to bring the articles to a floor vote. The move is reportedly being seen as an effort to increase political pressure on one of President Donald Trump’s most senior Cabinet officials, even though it is unlikely to result in Hegseth’s removal from office.
Democrats recently unsuccessfully tried to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Commenting on the latest move, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson told the news outlet: “This is just another Democrat trying to grab headlines as the War Department decisively and forcefully achieves the President’s objectives in Iran.”
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