Hegseth accused of war crimes in newly filed articles of impeachment
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.The measure introduced by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), along with eight Democratic co-sponsors, faces virtually no chance of passage in the Republican-controlled Congress but represents the latest Democratic focus on Hegseth as a primary target within President Donald Trump's cabinet, reported Axios.The five articles center on U.S. military operations in Iran, the "Signalgate" scandal and Hegseth's alleged personal misconduct.The first article accuses Hegseth of ordering unauthorized strikes against Iran without congressional approval and of signing off on plans involving "extreme and unnecessary risk" to U.S. personnel, including consideration of ground operations.The second article alleges violations of the Law of Armed Conflict and targeting of civilians, citing the bombing of a girls' school in Minab, Iran, and reports of "double tap strikes" on alleged Venezuelan drug boats in the Caribbean. Democrats contend Hegseth's statements about showing "no quarter, no mercy for our enemies" raise concerns about violations of the Geneva Conventions.The third article addresses the Signalgate scandal, in which Atlantic editor Jeff Goldberg was accidentally added to a secure messaging chat discussing Yemen strikes.The fourth article accuses Hegseth of obstructing congressional oversight by failing to provide timely information about military operations and withholding facts about civilian casualties.The fifth article charges Hegseth with conduct damaging to the U.S. military's reputation, citing the administration's rollback of diversity and inclusion programs, restrictions on transgender service members and criticism of NATO.Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson dismissed the impeachment effort, stating: "This is just another Democrat trying to make headlines as the Department of War decisively and overwhelmingly achieved the President's objectives in Iran." She added that Hegseth "will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength."The impeachment represents Democrats' continued efforts to challenge Trump administration officials, following previous unsuccessful impeachment pushes against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who were both fired.