Pete Hegseth faces intense scrutiny from House Republicans

Pete Hegseth is currently facing a precarious political future, with sources close to President Donald Trump suggesting he is merely a passenger in upcoming events that could prove damaging. House Democratic aides have indicated that Democrats are likely to pursue an impeachment inquiry against Hegseth. They intend to narrow the charges to issues previously raised by Senate Republicans to help garner their support.

Hegseth has faced criticism for his leadership at the Defense Department, where he championed an unpopular and costly war in Iran. His tenure has been marked by the firing of generals and the blocking of promotions using criteria that critics say disproportionately impacted women and people of color. He is also associated with the Signalgate incident and military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean.

Some of these actions have drawn fire from Republicans, including Senate Armed Services Committee chair Roger Wicker. Wicker previously criticised Hegseth for cuts to flag officers and once threatened to block a Trump nominee unless the Pentagon provided specific documents. Last night, House Republicans successfully tabled an impeachment effort brought by Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky.

Massie had accused Hegseth of conducting the Iran war without Congressional approval and directing “extrajudicial killings.” Although this attempt failed, officials privately believe that a future impeachment and Senate trial next year are almost inevitable. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries indicated his next steps after the failed vote, noting he would consult with key members.

“We’ll have that conversation at the appropriate time, and that’ll be led by Adam Smith, soon to be chair of the Armed Services Committee, and Jamie Raskin, next chair of the judiciary,” Jeffries said.

Trump officials remain sceptical that Democrats can secure enough GOP support to remove Hegseth, though they acknowledge they cannot prevent wall-to-wall media coverage of a trial. While some Republicans previously hoped Senate majority leader John Thune could dismiss the charges, the Democratic takeover of the Senate next year makes that impossible. The situation is complicated by the departure of Hegseth’s primary Republican critics, including Susan Collins, Thom Tillis, Bill Cassidy, Joni Ernst, and Mitch McConnell.

Despite these departures, other Republican senators including Wicker, Mike Rounds, Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, and Todd Young have expressed complaints about Hegseth’s performance. This brings Democrats closer to the 67 votes required for a conviction. Hegseth has shown no intention of resigning, recently appearing at the Pentagon to defend the Iran war effort and his alignment with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

“I agree with what the president said, when he said ‘Hey, if I had to do this all over again, would we do it again? Absolutely,’” Hegseth stated.

Separately, House Republicans are preparing an investigation into Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regarding his interactions with Alice Huang, a one-time tech executive and alleged Chinese spy who is not related to the CEO. This move places Republicans at odds with President Trump, who continues to defend the head of the world’s most valuable chip company. During a “Gang of Eight” briefing on Monday, officials such as director of national intelligence Jay Clayton and CIA director John Ratcliffe provided only limited details on the classified intelligence.

Lawmakers were left unsatisfied by the briefing, as they received no clear answers regarding the lack of a defensive briefing for Jensen Huang or why he was initially excluded from President Trump’s trip to China this year. On Tuesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Brian Mast informed reporters that he would be open to issuing a subpoena.