Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and other Trump administration officials could face congressional investigations — and potentially impeachment proceedings — if Democrats win control of the House of Representatives in two months.
The former Fox News host has emerged as a leading target for House Democrats, who have raised alarm over his management of the Iran war, his prominent role in the SignalGate controversy and the numerous military strikes in the Caribbean.
‘Hegseth got us into an illegal and costly war in Iran which we are losing. He has fired generals capriciously and ordered the killing of fishermen in the Caribbean,’ Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California told the Daily Mail. ‘He should be impeached.’
Impeachment proceedings begin in the House, a chamber Democrats are projected to capture in November.
A Democratic majority would also give the party subpoena power, allowing lawmakers to compel Trump administration officials to testify before Congress under oath.
Echoing Trump’s first term, when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi used House control to challenge the president during his final two years and pursued two impeachments, Democrats are preparing for another major resistance campaign.
Not every Democrat believes impeachment would be the right course if the party regains the House. Still, many are eager to use congressional oversight to scrutinize Trump and members of his administration.
Many House Democrats are eager to hold Secretary of War Pete Hegseth accountable for what they describe as ‘crimes against humanity’ if they gain power after the midterm elections.
Trump reportedly shouted at Hegseth over a military munitions shortage that he believed had been resolved during the late-July Camp David Cabinet meeting pictured above.
Some critics have labeled Army veteran Hegseth, pictured with his wife Jennifer, ‘incompetent’ and ‘unfit’ to serve as secretary.
‘Pete Hegseth has got to go,’ Congressman Jason Crow, who serves on the House panels overseeing the CIA and Pentagon, told the Daily Mail.
‘Democrats won’t hesitate to use very tool available to hold the Defense Secretary accountable,’ he added, without expounding on whether he has the appetite for impeachment.
He and others have accused Army veteran Hegseth of being ‘incompetent’ and ‘unfit’ to serve as secretary.
Lawmakers on the left have accused him of politicizing the Pentagon, firing experienced generals, and jeopardizing service members by ‘recklessly’ sharing classified information.
‘Pete Hegseth is an unqualified, narcissistic, wannabe Chief of War,’ Democrat Jill Tokuda of Hawaii, another member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Mail.
‘Similar to what this administration did to others, his picture should be stripped from the wall of the Pentagon, he should face charges domestically and globally for crimes against humanity.’
It is not just liberal lawmakers who disapprove of Hegseth, the latest Quinnipiac Poll found that he has a 57 percent disapproval rating compared to 32 percent approval.
The secretary’s net -25 rating has plummeted since the beginning of the Iran conflict, when the same pollster found Hegseth then had a -9 point approval.
California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna told the Daily Mail Hegseth should be impeached, but not all are convinced thats the proper way forward
Hegseth could face a grilling on his involvement in SignalGate, a scandal in which he and other top Trump officials sent plans about an upcoming strike on Yemen to a group chat that accidentally included a journalist.
He could also be expected to face a barrage of questions about whether the US had enough munitions for a prolonged war with Iran, as reports have indicated Trump’s fury with the secretary over the matter.
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Perhaps worrying for many of Trump’s deputies is the president’s obvious belief that Republicans will lose control of Congress.
Trump has effectively resigned himself to losing the iron grip he’s enjoyed on Washington for the past two years, telling Fox News in a recent interview how he plans to ‘make deals’ with Democrats when they presumably gain at least some power in November.
But while House Democrats are not exactly planning on playing nice, they have still yet to unify around a plan to target Trump and his team.
And just how harsh and painful that will be for Hegseth and all the other president’s men remains to be seen.
Though some Democrats are squeamish about dragging America through additional impeachment proceedings and wary of using ‘the I-word.’
More progressive members, like Khanna, see Hegseth’s removal as an imperative after the party has labeled Hegseth a war criminal.
The Pentagon did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
Still, impeaching Cabinet secretaries is rare and has only been done twice in US history.
First against Secretary of War William Belknap in 1876 for taking bribes and again in 2024 when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached for his handling of immigration at the US-Mexico border.
Even if the House does pass a bill to begin impeachment proceedings against Hegseth, there is a slim chance that it will pass through the Senate with the 60 votes required to charge the secretary.
Earler this year, it was revealed that Hegseth now brings his wife Jennifer virtually everywhere.
Having promised to cut down on US military adventurism on the campaign trail, Trump has been dogged by criticism of the Iran war in the six months since he said the conflict has raged
Reports indicate Jennifer has become his most influential adviser – interviewing prospective staff, shaping public appearances and department videos, and even sitting in on press interviews.
According to one insider who spoke to the New York Times, the 49-year-old remains ever-present at her husband’s side for a specific reason: the Defense Secretary, who’s repeatedly been accused of abusing alcohol in the past, counts on her to keep him out of trouble.
The newspaper was informed by 20 current and former administration officials alongside sources close to Jennifer.
During a highly sensitive US and UK briefing on military intelligence sharing with Ukraine last year, British officials are said to have spoken only in broad terms because her presence made them feel uncomfortable.
It ultimately forced them to hold a smaller, more detailed follow-up meeting without Jennifer.
The underlying reason for her constant presence traces back to concerns over the former Fox News host’s past.
Having faced a challenging confirmation due largely to a history of drinking and repeated accusations of alcohol abuse, Hegseth reportedly relies heavily on his wife’s supervision.
‘Secretary Hegseth has slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters every step of the way,’ Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said.
‘By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s leadership than before.’