Hegseth hit with impeachment resolution alleging "high crimes and misdemeanors"
Washington DC - House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" including waging war on Iran without congressional approval.
The impeachment resolution is led by Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic Congresswoman from Arizona, and has slim chances of passing due to the Republican majority in the House.
"I've introduced Articles of Impeachment against Pete Hegseth for violating his oath, endangering U.S. servicemembers, and committing war crimes, including attacks on civilians and a girls' school in Minab, Iran," Ansari wrote on X.
"Only Congress can declare war; his actions demand immediate removal."
The first impeachment article alleged that Hegseth started the conflict with Iran "without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization by the Congress," and "knowingly exposing members of the Armed Forces of the United States to substantial and foreseeable risk of injury or death."
Another article held Hegseth responsible for the strike on an Iranian primary school on February 28 – the day the US and Israel began bombing Iran – which killed at least 170 people, the majority of them children.
The New York Times has reported that the preliminary findings of a US military investigation indicate that a US Tomahawk cruise missile hit the school.
The Democrats also criticized Hegseth for "double tap" during a months-long killing spree carried out in the Caribbean, where the Pentagon claims with no evidence it is targeting drug-trafficking boats.
Other allegations included "negligence and reckless handling" of sensitive military information, as well as obstructing congressional oversight, referring to Hegseth's use of messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen that also killed dozens of civilians.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told news outlet Axios "this is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the Presidents' objectives in Iran."
Cover photo: REUTERS