Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari files 6 impeachment articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth

PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari filed six articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday.

“Hegseth’s conduct meets the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors and warrants immediate removal by Congress,” Ansari said in a news release.

She condemned his handling of the war in Iran, highlighting her unique standing as the only Democratic Iranian American in Congress.

Democrat whose parents fled Iran seeks to impeach Pete Hegseth

“As the daughter of Iranian immigrants and as someone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, I know this absolutely cannot continue,” Ansari said.

She pointed to a Feb. 28 strike on an elementary school in Iran that killed more than 165 people, many of them children. Responsibility for the missiles has been disputed.

President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran, then said he would accept the results of a Pentagon investigation. While the full report has not been released, a preliminary finding suggests the U.S. was responsible for the deadly Tomahawk missile strike on the school.

“The stakes for U.S. service members and our national security, the Iranian people and innocent civilians everywhere and global stability are too high to ignore,” Ansari said.

The freshman Democrat who represents Arizona’s 3rd Congressional District also cited a scandal in which The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief was allegedly added to a Signal group chat where Hegseth shared war plans before the U.S. bombed Houthi targets in Yemen.

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.

– U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari

What are the six articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth?

The articles of impeachment are:

• Unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers
• Violations of the law of armed conflict and targeting of civilians
• Negligence and reckless handling of sensitive military information
• Obstruction of congressional oversight
• Abuse of power and politicization of the armed forces
• Conduct bringing disrepute upon the U.S. and its armed forces

Who is co-sponsoring the Pete Hegseth impeachment legislation?

Hegseth is the third Trump Cabinet official Ansari has sought to have impeached.

But before those proceedings could move forward, President Donald Trump removed both of them — former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi — and replaced them with men.

Ansari’s articles of impeachment are co-sponsored by Reps. Sarah McBride, D-Del.; Lauren Underwood, D-Ill.; Al Green, D-Texas; Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.; Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas; Nikema Williams, D-Ga.; Dina Titus, D-Nev.; Dave Min, D-Calif.; Shri Thanedar, D-Mich.; Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M.; Mike Quigley, D-Ill. and Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo.

Her legislation is endorsed by MoveOn, Indivisible, Foreign Policy 4 America, Win Without War, Common Defense and Center for International Policy.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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