House Democrats Introduce Articles of Impeachment Against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

House Democrats introduced articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday. The resolution accuses him of high crimes and misdemeanors, including a willful disregard for the Constitution and abuse of office powers. CBS News reported on the filing, which was first noted by Axios.

The impeachment resolution, led by Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, contains six articles. U.S. and its armed forces. The resolution points to the Feb. 28 bombing of a girls' school in Iran, which killed 168 people.

U.S. assessment indicated that the United States was likely responsible for the attack but did not intentionally target the school and may have hit it in error. U.S. obligations.

in the Resolution The articles cite Hegseth's comments about giving 'no quarter, no mercy for our enemies' as evidence of potential violations.

U.S. military operations in Yemen in a private Signal group chat last year, described as gross negligence in handling sensitive and classified military information. Additionally, the resolution accuses him of obstructing congressional oversight by withholding information on operations in Venezuela and Iran.

U.S. commitment to NATO. The resolution claims Hegseth has politicized the armed forces and acted in a manner incompatible with the rule of law. CBS News reached out to the Pentagon but did not receive an immediate response.

The impeachment effort is co-sponsored by Reps. Sarah McBride of Delaware, Lauren Underwood of Illinois, Al Green of Texas, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Jasmine Crockett of Texas, Nikema Williams of Georgia, Dina Titus of Nevada, Dave Min of California, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, Mike Quigley of Illinois, and Brittany Pettersen of Colorado.

Ansari, the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress, announced the plan last week amid threats to target Iranian infrastructure if a deal was not reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X, Ansari stated that the rhetoric had crossed every line and that Hegseth was complicit.

She added that she had called for the 25th Amendment and was introducing the articles of impeachment.

Impeachment serves as the first step in removing executive and judicial branch officials from office. The House approves impeachment articles, which function like charges in an indictment. The Senate then holds a trial to determine guilt and potential removal from office.

U.S. history: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876, who was acquitted, and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024, whose charges were dismissed by the Senate's Democratic majority shortly after the trial began. The current impeachment push is unlikely to advance in the House due to the Republican majority, but sponsors may renew efforts if Democrats gain control after midterm elections.