Is Pete Hegseth Getting Impeached? What the House Can Actually Do

The drama surrounding Pete Hegseth has gone as far as articles of impeachment. Pete currently serves as Secretary of War, the title the administration now uses for the job that had been Secretary of Defense. He was sworn in in January 2025 as the 29th Secretary of Defense, and the department says the title changed in September 2025.

The pressure around Pete is heating up again. This time, it comes from a new Democratic impeachment push tied to the Trump administration’s Iran operations, the Signal chat controversy, and older misconduct questions that have followed him since his confirmation fight.

According to Axios, House Democrats filed five articles of impeachment accusing him of abuse of power, war crimes, reckless handling of sensitive military information, obstruction of congressional oversight, and conduct that brought disrepute on the armed forces. Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona is leading the effort. In an earlier statement, she said Pete repeatedly violated the oath he took.

“I am introducing Articles of Impeachment against Pete Hegseth for repeatedly violating his oath of office and his duty to the Constitution,” Yassamin wrote. “Only Congress has the power to declare war, not a rogue president or his lackeys. Pete’s reckless endangerment of U.S. servicemembers and repeated war crimes, including bombing a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, and willfully targeting civilian infrastructure, are grounds for impeachment and removal from office.”

Democrats accuse him of backing aggressive U.S. military actions tied to Iran, including strikes that allegedly caused civilian harm. At the same time, past investigations have raised questions about earlier operations, including deadly strikes on boats that some experts say may have crossed the line under international law.

According to The Daily Beast, lawmakers have also pointed to the so-called “Signalgate” scandal, alleging that Pete shared sensitive military information in a group chat that included a journalist, sparking concerns about national security and judgment. On top of that, he has faced criticism for limiting press access at the Pentagon, with a federal judge ruling parts of that policy unconstitutional.

Filing or introducing articles of impeachment does not mean someone has been impeached. A federal official is only impeached when the House adopts an impeachment resolution and the articles themselves.

The House holds the sole power of impeachment. The Senate handles the trial. If the House approves articles against Pete, the Senate would hold a trial, and a two-thirds vote would be required to convict him.

As of now, Pete is not impeached. He is facing a serious new Democratic impeachment effort, but the House has not voted to impeach him, and the Senate is nowhere near a trial. Additionally, the Trump administration appears to be standing behind Pete. Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson told The Daily Beast that the articles of impeachment were nothing more than a political stunt.

“This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War,” Kingsley said.