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On the eve<\/span> of a House impeachment vote, self-styled Secretary of War Pete Hegseth made a rare appearance<\/a> before the Pentagon press corps. Over half an hour, he declared every military operation he has overseen \u201clawful\u201d and claims of civilian harm \u201cslander.\u201d He said the Iran war was a great victory and only 18 Americans have died in the conflict. He also claimed that the effort to impeach him was a stunt by just \u201cone disgruntled congressman.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n None of it is true.<\/p>\n Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., introduced<\/a> articles of impeachment on the House floor Monday afternoon, charging Hegseth with \u201chigh crimes and misdemeanors.\u201d Democrats are overwhelmingly expected to join Massie\u2019s effort<\/a> following their midterm election<\/a> landslide. \u201cI am a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution,\u201d said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the presumed next House speaker.<\/p>\n Massie wrote<\/a> on X that if his impeachment resolution advances Tuesday evening, he will request a separate vote on each of the eight articles. \u201cI\u2019ve heard from several members they agree with some of the Articles of Impeachment but not all of them,\u201d Massie wrote. \u201cIf the motion to kill my resolution by referring it to committee fails, and we proceed to the Articles themselves, I\u2019ll request a vote on each of the Articles separately.\u201d<\/p>\n As Hegseth steels himself for a vote that could see him put on trial in the Senate and sink his chances of serving for the rest of Trump\u2019s term, The Intercept is dissecting his self-defense<\/a> and examining Hegseth\u2019s false claims about his disastrous war-making.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen \u2014 every one was a lawful operation ordered by the commander-in-chief, then ordered by myself, notified to Congress, and executed by American warriors who did their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Experts in the laws of war<\/a>, a Pentagon official<\/a>, and members of Congress from both parties<\/a> say Hegseth\u2019s boat strikes against \u201ccartels,\u201d which have now killed upward of 240 people, are illegal extrajudicial killings. The military is not permitted to deliberately target civilians \u2014 even suspected criminals \u2014 who do not pose an imminent threat of violence.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sarah Harrison, who previously advised Pentagon policymakers on issues related to human rights and the law of war, said that the attack on Venezuela<\/a> was also a clear violation of international law<\/a> and that the administration\u2019s justifications for the raid were baseless.<\/p>\n Of the Iran war, Air Force Lt. Col. Rachel VanLandingham,\u00a0a former chief of international law at U.S. Central Command, said the opening strike \u201cclearly violates the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution<\/a>,\u201d which requires the president to seek congressional approval to start a war in most cases. Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Army officer and intelligence official and now the associate director for campaigns and policy at Win Without War, drew specific attention to the attacks on the bridges and water reservoirs<\/a> in Iran. It is \u201cquite dangerous to be conditioning the U.S. military to carry out orders that are clearly war crimes,\u201d he warned<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hegseth\u2019s claims about notifications are also spurious. Congress never authorized the Iran war, and a call to the congressional \u201cGang of Eight\u201d the night before is not the formal report<\/a> experts say the law requires. Following the January attack on Venezuela, Republicans privately complained<\/a> they were not told in advance.<\/p>\nEverything Was \u201cLawful\u201d and \u201cNotified to Congress\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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