November's midterm elections are right around the corner, and Republicans are slated to have their asses handed to them in both branches of Congress as the Democratic Party maintains a significant lead over the GOP.
Now, Democrats are making it perfectly clear that Pentagon Pete will be one of the first in their sights if/when they regain power.
New York Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan told POLITICO in no uncertain terms: "Hegseth and crew better buckle up and lawyer up because we are coming at them full on."
Promising "incredibly aggressive oversight," Ryan promised to finally bring the Trump-Era Secretary of Defense to heel "because this is by far the most corrupt and least transparent Pentagon, I think, we’ve ever had.”
Hegseth, a former Fox News talking head, has faced a litany of scandals since the moment Trump announced him as his Defense Secretary pick. His Senate confirmation hearing was a muddled mess, plagued by credible allegations of sexual assault, severe alcoholism, and significant financial improprieties.
Once he got past that confirmation and firmly planted himself in the Trump administration, his reputation has only gone downhill, as his federal career has been plagued by some of the most ridiculous controversies we've ever seen.
Hegseth found himself at the center of significant backlash after he was busted sharing highly sensitive information surrounding US military strikes in an unsecured Signal chat that accidentally included The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
He faces a slew of war crime allegations in connection with Donald Trump's war with Iran and multiple allegations of crimes against humanity related to the Trump Admin's brutal attack on alleged narcotrafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea.
He has overseen the massive purging of top Pentagon brass, faced intense backlash over the living conditions of military members overseas, and particular scrutiny over the horrid conditions faced by sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as significant apparent corruption within the Defense Department's contracting.
Other Trump-era leaders, like former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, have already received the pink slip after similar scandals engulfed their departments. So far, Hegseth has managed to hang on by the skin of his teeth, but his clock is ticking fast.
Colorado Democratic House Rep. Jason Crow said, "We will use all of the tools we can to make sure we’re getting the information we need to hold folks accountable."
Ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, California Rep. Robert Garcia, has confirmed that Democrats have already begun preparations to remove Hegseth and his entire team, should their party see the expected victory in November.
"There’s a lot of conversations about DOD right now," Garcia said. "Hegseth should not be in office—a lot of others should be impeached. So those are ongoing conversations."
Pentagon spokeswoman Kingsley Wilson told POLITICO that Pete Hegseth is a "transformative leader" and "the entire department is unified behind the secretary's vision."
If Democrats secure their predicted victory in a few weeks, they can all be unified behind the secretary in the unemployment line.
