Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will have another difficult war to win if Democrats take back the House in November, according to a new report.
Democrats are plotting a "blitz" of public inquiries and might even try to impeach him, Politico reported Thursday.
“Hegseth and crew better buckle up and lawyer up because we are coming at them full on,” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) told Politico. “It’s incredibly aggressive oversight because this is by far the most corrupt and least transparent Pentagon, I think, we’ve ever had.”
Democrats accused Republicans of failing in oversight of President Donald Trump's administration as accusations of corruption and wrongdoing roil political waters.
Hegseth's many scandals — the Iran war, accusations of war crimes and military officer purges top among them — make the Defense secretary an easy target for Democrats and even some Republicans, according to the report.
“There’s a lot of conversations about DOD right now,” said Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who would lead the House Oversight Committee if the chamber flips. “Hegseth should not be in office — a lot of others should be impeached. So those are ongoing conversations.”
Meanwhile Pentagon spokesperson Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth as “a transformative leader,” telling Politico “the entire department is unified behind the secretary’s vision and will continue working to put our warfighters and America first.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has not yet backed impeachment efforts, the report noted, but that doesn't mean it's off the table considering the intensity of the investigations planned.
“The priority has got to be investigating things that impact the safety and security of our troops and their families,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) told Politico. “Pete Hegseth, because of his incompetence and his corruption and his lack of attention to the job, continues to put our service members in harm’s way, take away resources for their health and safety … We need to hold them accountable for that.”