House Democrats will introduce five articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday accusing him of abuse of power, war crimes and other serious wrongdoing.
Why it matters: The measure has virtually no chance of passing this Congress, but it is the latest sign that Democrats have coalesced around Hegseth as their new top target in Trump's Cabinet.
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- Democrats previously pushed to impeach former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, both of whom were ousted by Trump in recent months.
- With his longstanding scandals and now the conflict with Iran, Hegseth is a prime candidate to become the party's latest boogeyman.
What they're saying: "This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the Presidents' objectives in Iran," Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to Axios.
- Hegseth "will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength," she added.
Driving the news: The seven-page impeachment resolution, a copy of which was first obtained by Axios, focuses primarily on U.S. operations in Iran, Signalgate and Hegseth's alleged personal misconduct.
- It is being introduced by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), the president of House Democrats' freshman class and the first Iranian-American Democrat elected to Congress.
- It has eight Democratic co-sponsors: Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), David Min (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) and Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
- It is also supported by several progressive and anti-war groups, including MoveOn, Indivisible and the Center for International Policy.
Article 1: "Unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of United States service members"
- This article focuses on the U.S. launching strikes against Iran without first seeking congressional approval.
- It also accuses Hegseth of signing off on "plans involving extreme and unnecessary risk to United States personnel and interests," citing the administration's consideration of ground operations in Iran.
Article 2: "Violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians"
- Hegseth "authorized, condoned, or failed to prevent" operations in Iran "resulting in large numbers of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in Iran," this article says.
- It cites the U.S. bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, as well as reports of double tap strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean.
- It also points to Hegseth saying the U.S. will have 'no quarter, no mercy for our enemies,'' saying he "has engaged in conduct that raises serious concerns of violations of the Geneva Conventions and other binding legal obligations."
Article 3: "Negligence and Reckless handling of sensitive military information"
- This article focuses on Signalgate, a scandal last year in which Atlantic editor Jeff Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal chat where Hegseth and other top U.S. officials discussed strikes in Yemen.
- Hegseth "has demonstrated gross negligence in the handling of sensitive and classified military information" and "placed United States personnel at risk through this careless and improper conduct," it says.
Article 4: "Obstruction of Congressional Oversight"
- Hegseth has failed to "provide timely and complete information regarding military operations" to Congress, this article says.
- It also accuses him of "withholding material facts relating to civilian casualties and operational conduct in Iran, Venezuela, and other military theaters."
Article 5: "Conduct bringing disrepute upon the United States and its armed forces"
- Hegseth is accused of having "acted in a manner contrary to the public trust" and "shaken public confidence in the integrity and ability" of the Pentagon.
- The article cites several of the Trump administration's socially conservative military policies including criticism of NATO, rolling back of DEI and affirmative action programs and restrictions against transgender service members.
The bottom line: "This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War," said Wilson, the Pentagon spokesperson.