Articles of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Section 1111 of title 18, United States Code, provides that Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought and that Every murder perpetrated by . . . willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing . . . or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree.

Section 1111 of title 18, United States Code, further provides that Within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, Whoever is guilty of murder in the first degree shall be punished by death or by imprisonment for life.

Section 1117 of title 18, United States Code, provides for the offense of conspiracy to murder, in that If two or more persons conspire to violate section 1111, 1114, 1116, or 1119 of this title, and one or more of such persons do any overt act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

Additionally, section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, provides, in relevant part, that the term war crime means any conduct that constitutes a grave breach of common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention of 1949, to include murder and intentionally causing serious bodily injury, amongst other items.

Secretary Peter B. Hegseth is the principal civil officer in command of the Armed Forces of the United States, subordinate only to the President as Commander-in-Chief, and is empowered by law to supervise and issue orders to the Armed Forces.

On September 2, 2025, acting on the orders of Secretary Hegseth, the Armed Forces commenced a campaign of lethal strikes and extrajudicial killings against small boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

This campaign has supposedly been targeted against drug smugglers the administration claims are narco-terrorists, without providing any evidence to that effect. This campaign has been conducted without any authorization in law or by Congress for the use of military force. This campaign has included no attempt to intercept and board the targeted vessels, and has provided no warnings or opportunity to comply, as would be done in the case of lawful drug interdiction operations.

In particular, on September 2, 2025, the first such boat strike was carried out in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of South America. The boat contained 11 persons, whose identities were and remain unknown to the American public.

Experts have observed that this large number of people in such a small vessel would be more likely indicative of migrants than of drug smuggling. Given its location, it is likely the boat was transiting from Venezuela to Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation located just off of its shore. The boat in question was incapable of reaching the United States, thousands of miles away, without refueling numerous times. All evidence of the boat’s cargo and purposes has now been destroyed.

Secretary Hegseth gave an order to carry out this strike. In so doing, Secretary Hegseth also gave a spoken directive, described by someone with direct knowledge of the operation as [t]he order was to kill everybody, and confirmed by multiple credible sources to have included words substantially to that effect.

An initial strike on the targeted boat rendered the vessel inoperable, effectively destroyed, and resulted in the death of the majority on board. At least two survivors were subsequently observed clinging to the wreckage.

In compliance with the order of Secretary Hegseth, the Armed Forces carried out a second strike with the express, willful, and deliberate purpose of killing the shipwrecked survivors of the initial strike.

The Law of War Manual of the Department of Defense, which provides authoritative legal guidance for military conduct, states It is forbidden to declare that no quarter will be given, and combatants placed hors de combat must not be made the object of attack.

The murder of shipwrecked survivors is the most fundamental example, established by centuries of precedent, of an unambiguous crime on the high seas. This principle has been aggressively upheld and enforced by the United States in past conflicts. It is a practice absolutely prohibited under all circumstances, including against members of a combatant enemy force in a genuine war or armed conflict.

According to longstanding international and United States law, commanding military officers and superior civil officers are subject to the doctrine of command responsibility for crimes committed by their subordinates in the chain of command. They are also responsible for the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their orders, and for ensuring all orders are carried out in a lawful manner.

Secretary Hegseth has betrayed his trust as Secretary of Defense, violated the criminal laws and international obligations of the United States, exposed members of the Armed Forces to potential liability and harms, imperiled our most fundamental principles of civil-military relations, and tarnished the good standing and reputation of the United States in the community of nations, all in the course of committing one of the most flagrant and notorious of crimes, long recognized by all civilized societies.

In all of these things, Secretary Hegseth has committed the high crimes and misdemeanors of murder and conspiracy to murder.

Wherefore, Secretary Hegseth, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.

Section 1924 of title 18, United States Code, provides that Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

Section 1924 of title 18, United States Code, further provides that In this section, the term classified information of the United States means information originated, owned, or possessed by the United States Government concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States that has been determined pursuant to law or Executive order to require protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interests of national security.

In the exercise of his office of Secretary, Peter B. Hegseth has access to the most sensitive classified information, including plans and advanced knowledge of combat operations being undertaken by the Armed Forces.

In early 2025, the Armed Forces conducted combat operations against Houthi forces in Yemen in retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels and United States naval vessels transiting nearby.

From March 11, 2025, through March 15, 2025, numerous high-ranking officials conducted a group chat using the commercial messaging program Signal to discuss the planning and decision-making behind upcoming airstrikes in Yemen.

Signal is not an authorized platform or location for the lawful discussion and retention of classified information.

In addition to Secretary Hegseth, the Signal group chat included the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Director of National Intelligence, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Advisor, and the White House Chief of Staff, together with a variety of subordinates.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic and a journalist specializing in covering foreign affairs, was also added to the Signal group chat.

Jeffrey Goldberg observed that highly sensitive classified information was being discussed, as well as decision-making at the highest level about the foreign and national security policy of the United States, all of which was sent unsolicited to his personal Signal account.

On March 15, 2025, in messages to the Signal group chat, Secretary Hegseth detailed operational information regarding imminent airstrikes in Yemen, including target information, weapons systems to be employed, and attack sequencing. These messages include information on the launch times of F–18 aircraft, MQ–9 drones, and tomahawk missiles, the time when the F–18 aircraft would reach their targets, and the time when the bombs would land. These strikes were subsequently carried out as planned later that day.

On March 24, 2025, Jeffrey Goldberg published an article in the Atlantic recounting this experience, entitled The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans. The Atlantic subsequently published the full transcripts of the Signal group chat, and the authenticity of those transcripts has been confirmed by the administration.

Such reckless and unlawful handling of classified information would be, for any of Secretary Hegseth’s millions of civilian and military subordinates, a career-ending offense and likely result in criminal prosecution.

By his actions, Secretary Hegseth recklessly endangered members of the Armed Forces engaged in combat operations, undermined good order and morale, and set an example of unprofessionalism and incompetence at the highest levels of the national command authority.

In all of these things, Secretary Hegseth has committed the high crimes and misdemeanors of reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information.

Wherefore, Secretary Hegseth, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.