Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth

(4-17-26) House Democrats introduced six articles of impeachment Wednesday against Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of abuse of power, war crimes and other wrongdoing.

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The resolution, led by Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., lists charges including an unauthorized war against Iran and reckless endangerment of U.S. service members, violations of the law of armed conflict and targeting of civilians, and negligence in the handling of sensitive military information.

 In January, Congress introduced three articles of impeachment against former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. In March former Attorney General Pam Bondi saw Congress filed five articles in March.

Impeachment is the first step in removing executive and judicial branch officials from office. The House is responsible for approving impeachment articles, which are akin to charges in an indictment. The Senate then holds a trial to determine whether the accused should be removed. Only two Cabinet officials have ever been impeached: Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2024.

Related: Effort to impeach Walz, Ellison fails on tie vote in Minnesota House committee

Walz and Ellison

The resolution to forward articles of impeachment against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison failed on an 8-8 tie vote in the Minnesota House Rules and Administration Committee, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats voting against.