House Democrats have formally filed six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanours” over a series of actions linked to US military operations and internal conduct.
The push is being led by Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, along with colleagues including John Larson of Connecticut. The charges were introduced on Wednesday and lay out several allegations, from military decisions taken without approval to the handling of classified information.
What’s interesting is that the Democrats earlier tried to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom were removed by Trump in recent months.
What the Pentagon is saying
According to Axios, the Pentagon has strongly pushed back against this claim. “This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President’s objectives in Iran,” Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told Axios.
She added that Hegseth “will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength.” Later, Wilson dismissed the impeachment push again, calling it “another charade” meant to distract people from what she described as the department’s “major successes.”
The six charges explained
Article 1: Unauthorised war against Iran
Democrats say Hegseth approved US strikes on Iran without first getting approval from Congress. They also accuse him of supporting risky military plans that could have put American troops in danger, including possible ground operations.
Article 2: Violations of war laws and civilian harm
This charge claims Hegseth either approved or failed to stop actions that led to civilian deaths and damage to infrastructure in Iran. It mentions the bombing of a girls’ school in Minab and alleged “double tap” strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
The article also adds Hegseth’s remark that the US would show “no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,” saying such language raises concerns about possible violations of international law, including the Geneva Conventions.
Article 3: Mishandling sensitive military information
This part focuses on the “Signalgate” controversy, where journalist Jeff Goldberg was accidentally added to a private Signal group chat discussing US strikes in Yemen.
The article says Hegseth showed “gross negligence” and put US personnel at risk through careless handling of classified information.
Article 4: Blocking Congress’s oversight
Lawmakers have accused Hegseth of not giving full and timely details about military operations. They say key facts, especially around civilian casualties in places like Iran and Venezuela, were withheld.
Article 5: Abuse of power and politicising the military
This charge alleges that Hegseth used his position for political reasons and undermined the idea of a neutral military. It points to Democrats slamming “bogus investigations” into elected officials, including a Pentagon probe linked to Senator Mark Kelly.
Article 6: Damaging the reputation of the US military
The final article says Hegseth’s actions have hurt public trust in the Pentagon. It also references several policies under the Trump administration, including criticism of NATO, the rollback of diversity and inclusion programs, and restrictions on transgender service members.
According to Axios, these charges are very unlikely to pass in the current Congress, but it clearly shows that Democrats have now zeroed in on Hegseth as one of their main targets in Donald Trump’s Cabinet.