Democrats in the US House of Representatives introduced six articles of impeachment against Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on April 15, accusing him of “high crimes and misdemeanours”, including waging war on Iran without congressional approval.
The impeachment resolution, led by Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, has slim chances of passing due to the Republican majority in the House.
Impeachment is the process by which the US House of Representatives brings charges against a government official for alleged wrongdoing, with removal from office only possible if the Senate convicts after a trial.
“I’ve introduced articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth for violating his oath, endangering US service members and committing war crimes, including attacks on civilians and a girls’ school in Minab, Iran,” Ms Ansari wrote on social media platform X.
“Only Congress can declare war. His actions demand immediate removal,” she added.
The war in the Middle East has sent oil prices soaring and dented US President Donald Trump’s approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.
The first impeachment article alleged that Mr Hegseth began the conflict with Iran “without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorisation 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 Mr Hegseth responsible for the strike on an Iranian primary school on Feb 28 – the day the US and Israel began bombing Iran – which killed at least 170 people, including students and teachers.
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 due to a targeting mistake.
Mr Hegseth, the defence secretary, has “authorised, condoned or failed to prevent the use of military force in a manner inconsistent with the law of armed conflict”, such as the strike on the school, the document read.
Democrats also criticised Mr Hegseth for so-called double-tap strikes – hitting targets twice – against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
They said the double-tap strikes were illegal and undermined rules of engagement designed to protect non-combatants.
Other allegations included “negligence and reckless handling” of sensitive military information, as well as obstructing congressional oversight, referring to Mr Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told news outlet Axios that “this is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President’s objectives in Iran”.
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