Representative Thomas Massie introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday. The charges accuse him of starting an unlawful war with Iran and ignoring laws meant to protect civilians. Mr. Massie said, "The argument here is that he has broken laws and he's violated the Constitution."
The charges accuse the defense secretary of illegally starting the war with Iran, directing extrajudicial killings and ignoring laws meant to minimize civilian casualties.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces eight articles of impeachment introduced by Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky. They accuse him of violating federal law and the Constitution through military operations against Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, the killing of civilians and retaliation against a sitting U.S. senator.
Three of the charges center on the war with Iran, which Mr. Massie argues was unlawful from the start. The remaining articles focus on decisions Mr. Hegseth has made in overseeing the Pentagon, including his rollback of civilian-casualty protections and military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Pacific and Caribbean.
"We're not indicting him for being bad at his jobs," Mr. Massie said during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Monday after he read his resolution on the House floor. "In fact, he was very effective at killing schoolchildren in Iran. The argument here is that he has broken laws and he's violated the Constitution."
Mr. Hegseth held a news conference on Tuesday morning in which he cast the articles as a slanderous effort by a "disgruntled and defeated congressman," and the Pentagon has said that he "will not back down or be deterred."
President Trump defended Mr. Hegseth on Sunday, saying, "He's guilty of two things, basically winning two wars."
Here is a closer look at the charges, with excerpts from each.