Democrats are mounting a formal opposition to oust Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari filing six articles of impeachment against the Pentagon chief on Wednesday, accusing Hegseth of repeatedly violating his constitutional oath.
The articles allege Hegseth engaged in “high crimes and misdemeanors” by obeying Donald Trump’s orders and initiating a war against Iran without congressional approval.
“Pete Hegseth broke his oath to the Constitution, put U.S. troops at grave risk through the unauthorized disclosure of classified information, engaged in abuse of office and conduct beneath the dignity of his office, and carried out unlawful military actions despite his obligation to refuse—including strikes on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran.”
— Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ)
Ansari wrote on X that “Only Congress can declare war; his actions demand immediate removal.” The filing levels a series of serious allegations beyond the Iran war itself.
Scope of the charges
Among the six articles, Ansari accused Hegseth of demonstrating a “willful disregard” for the Constitution, a willingness to abuse the powers of his office, and reckless endangerment of American servicemembers deployed in the Middle East. She further argued that Hegseth’s conduct of the war effort caused thousands of civilian casualties.
Beyond the Iran conflict, the articles also allege that Hegseth inappropriately politicized the United States military and broke established rules of engagement by approving illegal “double-tap” strikes on noncombatant boats in the Caribbean. The filing also invokes the March 2025 Signalgate scandal, claiming Hegseth demonstrated “gross negligence” in his handling of classified military information.
Cosponsors
Twelve other Democratic representatives cosponsored Ansari’s bill:
- Sarah McBride (Delaware)
- Lauren Underwood (Illinois)
- Al Green (Texas)
- Steve Cohen (Tennessee)
- Jasmine Crockett (Texas)
- Nikema Williams (Georgia)
- Dina Titus (Nevada)
- Dave Min (California)
- Shri Thanedar (Michigan)
- Melanie Stansbury (New Mexico)
- Mike Quigley (Illinois)
- Brittany Pettersen (Colorado)