The 2003 American coup d'état was a military coup launched by elements of the United States military led by General Stephen Hawke against the Bush administration and elements of the United States federal government on April 1, 2003. The coup was a direct response to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and an indirect result of the September 11th attacks and General Hawke's investigation into the attacks, which included access to classified files of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense and the newly established Department of Homeland Security.