[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 935 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 935
Impeaching Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense of the United States,
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 9, 2025
Mr. Thanedar submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense of the United States,
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Resolved, That Peter B. Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, is impeached
for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of
impeachment be exhibited to the Senate:
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.
article i: murder and conspiracy to murder
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.
article ii: reckless and unlawful mishandling of classified information
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.
<all>