Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) renewed her call Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be impeached, arguing that his actions as Pentagon chief amount to repeated impeachable offenses.
Writing on X, Ansari pointed to the bombing of a school in Minab, Iran, where more than 100 children were killed, as well as U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.
“I filed Articles of Impeachment against Pete Hegseth for repeatedly impeachable conduct,” Ansari wrote. “From extrajudicial boat strikes in the Caribbean, to the bombing of a school in Minab, Iran where more than 100 children were murdered, he has overseen war crimes. Impeach Hegseth.”
The post renewed a campaign Ansari first launched in April, when she introduced six articles of impeachment against Hegseth.
At the time, Ansari accused the defense secretary of violating his oath of office, mishandling sensitive military information, obstructing congressional oversight, abusing his authority, and authorizing unlawful military actions.
“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,” Ansari said when introducing the articles. “Hegseth’s conduct meets the threshold of high crimes and misdemeanors and warrants immediate removal by Congress.”
Ansari, the daughter of Iranian immigrants, also argued that Congress has a responsibility to act in defense of the Constitution, U.S. servicemembers, and innocent civilians affected by military operations.
Her impeachment resolution includes six articles alleging unauthorized military action against Iran, violations of the law of armed conflict, negligence in handling military information, obstruction of congressional oversight, abuse of power, and conduct bringing disrepute upon the United States and its armed forces.
The effort was backed by a dozen House Democrats, including Sarah McBride, Lauren Underwood, Jasmine Crockett, Steve Cohen, Melanie Stansbury, Brittany Pettersen, and others, along with endorsements from advocacy organizations such as MoveOn, Indivisible, Win Without War, Foreign Policy for America, Common Defense, and the Center for International Policy.
The strike on the school in Minab has remained central to Ansari’s impeachment effort. The attack occurred during Operation Epic Fury, the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran. Local reports said more than 165 people, many of them children, were killed, although responsibility for the strike has been disputed and the Pentagon has not publicly released the full findings of its investigation.
Ansari also cited U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, including a September operation off the coast of Venezuela that drew scrutiny after reports alleged U.S. forces conducted a second strike while survivors remained in the water. Critics described the incident as a possible unlawful “double tap” strike, while Hegseth has defended the operation and rejected accusations of wrongdoing.
The Caribbean operation has also prompted bipartisan oversight, with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker and Ranking Member Jack Reed requesting additional information from the Defense Department as lawmakers continue reviewing the incident.
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