Hegseth and 'Pentagon' First Targets of Democrats

Washington (Agencies): The political future of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hangs in the balance if Democrats succeed in winning a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections scheduled for next week. A Democratic victory in the House would breathe new life into efforts to impeach Hegseth, potentially persuading additional Republicans to join the move when a vote is held immediately after the elections. If those efforts fail, Democrats plan to focus their attention on the Defense Secretary in the new congressional session, pushing strongly for his impeachment.

Republican Representative Thomas Massie has pledged to push for an impeachment vote against Hegseth when the House reconvenes following the November midterms, provided the secretary remains in office. If Republicans lose their majority, Massie grows more confident that sufficient votes from both parties will be available to complete the impeachment process, which requires only a simple majority. Speaking to CNN, Massie said, “The number of members of the ‘retiring caucus’ (lawmakers who will not return to the House) will increase on Election Day. Those Republican lawmakers who will not return to their seats may find themselves motivated to vote according to their conscience, as they no longer have to fear losing support from Trump or the Republican Party in their electoral campaigns.”

It remains unclear how Republican leadership will handle this issue after the elections. House Speaker Mike Johnson had decided to end the House’s work early in September, preventing a vote before the midterms. At the time, Johnson explained that his plan aimed to block the vote, describing efforts to impeach Hegseth as a “political stunt” and affirming that the Defense Secretary had “done exceptional work.” However, a source familiar with Republican sentiments indicated that impeachment efforts are being taken seriously, and there is a real possibility that some Republicans will vote in favor, given their growing frustration with Hegseth and the Department of Defense (“Pentagon”).

Regardless of how the impeachment effort fares in November, Democrats are certain to intensify their scrutiny of the secretary’s performance during the new congressional session if they regain control of the House, an outcome they are increasingly confident will happen. If the Democratic Party succeeds in taking control of either the House or the Senate, Democrats on the Armed Services Committees in both chambers plan to conduct extensive investigations into the U.S. war with Iran, and lawmakers may make Hegseth their primary target in these probes. Lawmakers are seeking to hold Hegseth accountable for the decision to go to war, how it was managed, and, according to them, the administration’s disregard for congressional consultation—including the administration’s failure so far to submit a detailed report outlining the full cost of this war.