I write to you on an urgent matter of national security: It is now clear that Mr. Pete Hegseth has probably committed treasonous acts and reprehensible war crimes during his term as Secretary of Defense. It is now time for a proper, full investigation by Congress, and if such malfeasance has occurred, the Secretary must be impeached and removed from office.
First, Mr. Hegseth exposed national security matters, most likely of a classified nature, via the Signal app, a non-secure, private messaging app that is not cleared for handling such information. Even more concerning is that he was sharing such information with people who did not have the appropriate clearances and/or need to know such information.
NPR and other media outlets are reporting on a summary of a forthcoming report by Pentagon Inspector General Steven Stebbins which will say that the sharing of this information in this manner risked the safety of U.S. servicemembers. Signal is not secure enough to prevent a foreign agent from being able hack the system, receive this information, and to use such it against the United States or ours armed forces.
Second, Mr. Hegseth ordered the killing of the entire crew of a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean on September 2, and he has overseen similar attacks on multiple Venezuelan vessels since then. By international law and “rules of war” and by our armed forces’ own rules of engagement, these attacks are excessive and illegal. The Administration continues to use circular logic to argue that we are “at war” with “narco-terrorists,” without authorization of any war by Congress or clear proof that any of these vessels were carrying drugs, much less were an actual threat to the United States.
I know that Congressional committees have begun to investigate the current situation at the Pentagon, and I encourage you to monitor these proceedings, speak up in support of this work of Congressional oversight, and when the time comes, advocate strongly for Mr. Hegseth’s impeachment and removal from office.
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