Nov. 10th, 2026 – Amid the House debate on the articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

Hegseth has played a pivotal role in serious crimes committed by the Trump administration. These include unlawful attacks on Iran, Yemen, and Venezuela, extrajudicial killings – murder – of civilians in the Caribbean, and threats and retaliation against those who speak out against such crimes. Hegseth should be removed from office and prosecuted in a U.S. court or an international proceeding under principles of universal jurisdiction for international law violations.

The Center for Constitutional Rights has fought for 60 years against war, human rights violations, and other abuses of state power regardless of which political party holds power in Washington DC. At this moment we confront a profound human rights crisis arising from the US’s aggressive response to 9/11 and 25 years of the so-called “global war on terror,” now exploited by a corrupt president and officials who, like him, have no respect for the law or human dignity. 

There is widespread hunger in the country for lasting, material change, and that requires accountability for high-ranking U.S. officials. The impunity must end.