Impeach Secretary of Defense Hegseth for Likely War Crimes

I respectfully urge you to begin impeachment proceedings against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Credible reports describe a multi-week maritime campaign he directed that has killed roughly 80 people. It appears to involve conduct that may constitute war crimes and/or murder. This pattern of destroying small vessels and killing their occupants raises the gravest concerns under U.S. and international law. Impeachment Is Required Article II, Section 4 permits impeachment of civil officers for high crimes and misdemeanors. Investigations show that for weeks U.S. forces have carried out repeated strikes on small boats in the Caribbean, causing dozens of deaths across multiple incidents. The scale and continuity of this campaign suggest a deliberate pattern that demands immediate congressional action. One incident on September 2, 2025 has drawn particular scrutiny: after an initial strike left two survivors in the water, Secretary Hegseth allegedly ordered a second strike that killed them. While alarming, this is only one example of a broader lethal approach that has characterized the campaign. These Actions Likely Constitute War Crimes or Murder International humanitarian law protects people who are shipwrecked or otherwise hors de combat and forbids intentionally killing individuals who pose no imminent threat. If entire boats were destroyed and their occupants killed without lawful justification, the campaign itself likely constitutes war crimes or unlawful killings. A statement issued on November 29, 2025 by the Former JAGs Working Group – former senior U.S. military lawyers – declared that the alleged “no quarter” orders and associated strikes, if accurate, “constitute war crimes, murder, or both.” This statement appears at: https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/former-jag-working-group-no-quarter-statement.pdf Equally troubling is that no legal opinions have been publicly released by the administration to justify this campaign. The absence of any stated legal basis reinforces concerns that these lethal actions were carried out outside established legal boundaries. American Legal and Moral Leadership Is at Risk The continuing nature of the campaign and its significant death toll magnify its legal and moral implications. If dozens of people have been killed without disclosed legal rationale or demonstrated compliance with the laws of armed conflict, it raises serious questions about whether the United States has engaged in unlawful and extrajudicial killing. Congressional inaction could be interpreted as condoning a lethal maritime operation conducted without transparency or legal justification. Congress Must Act Now I urge you to begin impeachment proceedings without delay. Congress should investigate the entire maritime campaign, the destruction of small vessels, the targeting decisions, the absence of legal opinions, and whether senior officials approved or directed unlawful lethal force. Congress should obtain all relevant documents, hear from independent experts in military and international law, and determine whether Secretary Hegseth’s actions warrant removal from office and referral for criminal investigation.