PETE HEGSETH
Secretary of Defense
Confirmed January 25, 2025
These are allegations based on real stories reported by reputable sources. No charges have been filed as of publishing. The depiction of the individuals behind bars is political satire and commentary.
COUNT 1 — WAR CRIMES
18 U.S.C. § 2441 — War Crimes Act
On September 2, 2025, Secretary Hegseth allegedly gave a verbal order to kill all persons aboard a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea targeted by SEAL Team 6. After an initial strike left two survivors clinging to the wreckage, a second missile was fired on Hegseth's directive, killing both men in the water. The Geneva Conventions prohibit the killing of persons who are hors de combat — wounded, shipwrecked, or otherwise incapacitated. The War Crimes Act makes grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions by U.S. nationals a federal crime punishable by life imprisonment, or death if the victim dies.
COUNT 2 — MURDER
18 U.S.C. § 1111 — Murder
The same September 2 strike. Ordering the killing of shipwrecked, incapacitated individuals who posed no immediate threat constitutes the unlawful killing of human beings with malice aforethought. Two people were killed in the second strike.
COUNT 3 — MISHANDLING NATIONAL DEFENSE INFORMATION
18 U.S.C. § 793(d) — Espionage Act
On March 15, 2025, Secretary Hegseth shared operational details of imminent U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen — including aircraft types, launch times, and strike times — in a Signal group chat. This information closely mirrored a classified SECRET/NOFORN email from CENTCOM sent 15 hours earlier. A journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been inadvertently added to the chat. The Pentagon Inspector General found that Hegseth's actions "created a risk to operational security that could have resulted in failed U.S. mission objectives and potential harm to U.S. pilots."
COUNT 4 — MISHANDLING NATIONAL DEFENSE INFORMATION (SECOND CHAT)
18 U.S.C. § 793(d) — Espionage Act
Secretary Hegseth shared the same sensitive operational details about the Yemen strikes in a second, separate Signal group chat. This chat included his wife, his brother, and his personal attorney — none of whom held relevant security clearances or had any official need-to-know for active military operations.
COUNT 5 — UNAUTHORIZED USE OF CLASSIFIED SYSTEMS
18 U.S.C. § 1924 — Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material
Hegseth directed the installation of Signal on a desktop computer inside his Pentagon office, effectively "cloning" the app from his personal phone into a secure government facility. This created an unauthorized bridge between classified and unclassified systems within the Department of Defense.
COUNT 6 — DESTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT RECORDS
18 U.S.C. § 2071 — Concealment, Removal, or Mutilation of Government Records
The Signal group chats used by Secretary Hegseth had auto-delete features enabled, resulting in the destruction of official government communications. The Pentagon Inspector General cited Hegseth for failing to retain all associated messages, in violation of federal recordkeeping requirements.
COUNT 7 — VIOLATION OF DOD COMMUNICATIONS POLICY
DoD Instruction 8170.01 — Use of Personal Devices
The Inspector General found that Hegseth "did not comply with DoD Instruction 8170.01" by using his personal phone to relay nonpublic operational information through a commercial messaging application not approved for such use.
COUNT 8 — UNAUTHORIZED DISCLOSURE OF NATIONAL DEFENSE INFORMATION
18 U.S.C. § 793(d) — Gathering or Transmitting Defense Information
The Pentagon Inspector General's report (released December 4, 2025) confirmed that Hegseth shared operational details — including aircraft types, F-18 launch times, drone deployment schedules, and Tomahawk missile strike times — from a USCENTCOM email marked SECRET/NOFORN on the unclassified Signal messaging app, approximately two hours before the Yemen strikes commenced. The IG found the information "should have been classified" at the time of sharing. Separately, Hegseth created a second Signal group chat — dubbed "Defense | Team Huddle" — that included his wife Jennifer, his brother Phil, and his personal attorney, none of whom held authorization to receive the information, and shared the same strike details there. Hegseth refused to sit for an interview with the Inspector General and provided only a written statement. He claimed the act was a "total exoneration" despite the IG finding that his actions "endangered U.S. troops and mission objectives."
- Pentagon Inspector General Report: Final findings on Hegseth Signal disclosures (December 4, 2025)
- New York Times: "IG Finds Hegseth Shared Classified Strike Details, Refused Interview" (December 4, 2025)
- Washington Post: "Hegseth Shared Same Strike Details With Wife, Brother in Second Signal Chat" (December 5, 2025)
COUNT 9 — UNLAWFUL ORDER / WAR CRIMES
18 U.S.C. § 2441 — War Crimes Act; Uniform Code of Military Justice
In September 2025, following a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea, Hegseth reportedly issued a verbal order to "kill everybody" — resulting in the killing of survivors of the initial strike. Some lawmakers and former senior military officials have characterized the September 2 attack as a potential war crime. Separately, in March 2026, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation received more than 200 complaints from 50 military installations after commanders told service members that the war against Iran was "part of God's divine plan" — statements the Foundation attributed to Hegseth's leadership culture and said violate the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Additionally, a U.S. Navy submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean approximately 2,000 miles from the declared conflict zone; circumstances have prompted questions from international observers about compliance with Article 18 of the Second Geneva Convention regarding survivors at sea.
- New York Times: "Pentagon Probes Defense Secretary's Order to Kill Shipwreck Survivors" (September 15, 2025)
- Military Religious Freedom Foundation: "Over 200 Complaints Filed After 'God's Divine Plan' Orders" (March 2026)
- Reuters: "U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Frigate 2,000 Miles From Conflict Zone" (March 2026)
- Geneva Conventions - Article 18, Second Convention: Protection of survivors at sea