Democratic lawmakers have begun planning their post-midterm investigations into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, whose tenure has been filled with controversy.
According to The Telegraph, congressional Democrats “have already made contact with potential whistleblowers” and plan to use their likely-imminent majority in the House of Representatives to subpoena those close to Hegseth. This behind-the-scenes pressure comes amid a scandal-ridden tenure for the secretary of defense, who has presided over numerous military operations and fired many of the Pentagon’s top military officials.
Democrats “hope to force embarrassing disclosures from his time at the Pentagon,” The Telegraph reported. With the help of Hegseth’s “former allies,” these lawmakers hope to “either build an impeachment case against him or provoke Donald Trump into dismissing him.”
This reporting gels with the rhetoric coming from Democratic circles as the midterm elections approach.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is poised to become speaker of the House if his party regains the majority, has made it clear that Democrats plan to leverage their political capital to put pressure on the secretary of defense. In campaigns across the country, Democrats have used Hegseth as a target, blaming him for the Iran war and the gas price hikes that followed.
“One of the first things we’re going to do in the majority, we’re going to run Pete Hegseth out of town,” Jeffries said at a campaign stop earlier this month.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), who serves on the House Oversight Committee, also wants her party to go after Hegseth, saying his impeachment should be one of the House Democrats’ “top three priorities” in 2027, according to a recent report from Semafor. Striking a similar tone, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.) has said Hegseth should be “worried,” and that even some of her Republican colleagues have floated the idea of impeachment. “I think there’s a lot he needs to answer for,” she said.
Democratic lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) may also seek to expand their oversight powers. Politico reported in early October that HASC Democrats may reconstitute an “Oversight and Investigations” subcommittee, primarily as a means to gain insight into Hegseth’s Pentagon and gather information for potential investigations.
It feels as though the walls are closing in on Hegseth, who has alienated a large number of former and current military officials. Distrust is rampant within the Pentagon, and Hegseth reportedly doubts the “loyalty” of many people in leadership positions.
The efforts by Democrats to oust Hegseth, or at least put the squeeze on him, are likely to center around numerous scandals that have plagued his term. Signalgate — the March 2025 incident when Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was mistakenly added to a Signal chat created by then-National Security Adviser Mike Waltz — is among Hegseth’s most scrutinized controversies, and one that Democrats plan to investigate after November’s midterm elections.
The original concern was that, in using the Signal app to communicate with other administration officials about military operations in Yemen, Hegseth may have leaked classified information — a federal offense.
A report on the matter was released in December 2025 by the Pentagon’s inspector general, and it concluded that, while he did send “sensitive, nonpublic, operational information” over a Signal chat, Hegseth retains the right to classify or declassify information as he sees fit, and thus no crime was committed.
House Democrats, however, believe there are still questions that need answers. One source told The Telegraph Hegseth may not be free from criminal culpability, saying he “would have had to declassify the material in writing.” The source, who is in contact with Democrats seeking to pursue an investigation into the situation, “urged investigators to search for a paper trail.”
Hegseth’s conduct before and during the Iran war may also be put under the microscope.
CBS News reported earlier this month that in December 2025, just two months before the Iran conflict kicked off, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George warned of the military’s shortage of key munitions, particularly defensive systems needed to fend off Iranian retaliatory strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East.
“He warned that the stockpile of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense batteries and Patriot missiles would continue to be strategically low until 2030,” CBS News reported. “His assessment was written for the Defense Department's plan for fiscal year 2027 and before the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-led war with Iran.”
Despite George’s warnings, the war was launched on February 28. Hegseth would go on to fire George in April, roughly a month into Operation Epic Fury.
Questions over the Pentagon’s pre-war readiness may be capitalized on by Democrats, many of whom say Hegseth was ill-prepared for what has turned into an eight month-long conflict with Iran.
Back in April, articles of impeachment were filed by Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), who claimed Hegseth committed “high crimes and misdemeanours” by launching the war against Iran without authorization from Congress. The articles also addressed strikes conducted by the military against alleged “narco-terrorists” operating “drug-carrying vessels” in the Caribbean. In defiance of his own party, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) also introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth over his launching of the war in Iran without congressional authorization. Massie’s resolution is expected to face a vote shortly after the midterms.
“Trump should fire Hegseth to avoid Hegseth’s impeachment,” Massie said in a post on X. “It’s the honorable thing to do.”
The attacks on supposed drug boats have led to a flurry of legal debates. Without authorization from Congress, the military began conducting strikes on these boats in the months leading up to the January 2026 operation to apprehend Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Anger over the strikes has at times crossed partisan lines. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been among the most vocal critics of the strikes, calling them “extrajudicial killings.”
One particularly controversial incident occurred in September 2025, when Hegseth ordered a “double-tap” strike on a boat off the coast of Trinidad, according to the Washington Post. The first strike left two survivors, the Post’s sources said, and Hegseth allegedly ordered a second attack in order to finish them off.
“The order was to kill everybody,” one source told the Post.
The strikes “amount to murder,” said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer and retired U.S. Navy Captain. If Hegseth truly ordered a second strike on these men, who were now unable to fight back, Huntley said it “would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime.”
Many congressional Republicans also denounced the attack and called for investigations. Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said “if that occurred, that would be very serious, and I agree that would be an illegal act.” Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) said the strike was “just not acceptable.”
With Democrats heavily favored to regain control of the House for the next congressional session, they are likely to dig up these scandals and question both Hegseth and his coterie over the legality of his actions. It's unclear whether this pressure will be enough to oust Hegseth, or if it will encourage Trump to defend his man in the Pentagon. Either way, the next few months will prove pivotal for the secretary of defense.