Hegseth digs in as confident Democrats plan to go on offense after midterms

Earlier this year, Senate Republicans decided to tighten the screws on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Pentagon had, for months, stonewalled lawmakers' request for materials related to the military's deadly targeting of alleged drug traffickers in Latin America. So this spring, the GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee made a threat: grant access to the documents or it would block one of the Trump administration's political nominees.

Hegseth relented, said two people familiar with the exchange, speaking like some others on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations and the secretary's standing with Congress.

Spokespeople for the committee and the Pentagon declined to address questions about the episode.

The standoff, which has not been previously reported, illustrates Hegseth's increasing susceptibility to congressional oversight and how he might attempt to navigate a shift in the balance of power on Capitol Hill should Democrats prevail in this week's midterm elections.

With limited exception, Republican lawmakers have declined to stand in Hegseth's way while he has purged dozens of senior military leaders he's deemed disloyal, waged an eight-month war in Iran without the consent of Congress and pursued an unprecedented campaign against the illicit drug trade.

Democrats would give Hegseth far less room for maneuver once the next Congress convenes in January. Already, some are threatening to investigate and try to remove him from office if they reclaim a majority.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that, "despite threats of sham witch hunts," Hegseth is "100% committed" to leading the Defense Department "until the end" of President Donald Trump's term and to advancing the president's agenda for the military.

The secretary "will not back down or be deterred by politicians seeking to score partisan points or launch phony investigations where no wrongdoing exists," Parnell said, adding that the department under Hegseth "has followed the law."

Rep. Adam Smith (Washington), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said in an interview that, as chairman, he would probe three areas: military operations, politicization of the armed forces and potential corruption in the Pentagon's awarding of defense contracts.

The Defense Department is readying for such inquires. Those preparations include accounting for the likelihood that if Democrats take charge they will summon military officers to testify on Capitol Hill, people familiar with the matter said.

Hegseth faces a more imminent challenge, though. When lawmakers return to Washington later this month, the House will probably vote on an effort to impeach him over the Iran war. That effort is being led by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Kentucky), a frequent critic of the administration.

"There's a decent chance that it could pass the House, and I think that would be a stain on his record," Massie said in an interview. "If he's contemplating leaving, this would be a good time to do it."

The House vote is expected to be close, but the effort is highly unlikely to result in a conviction if it advances to the Senate for a trial.

Some officials in the administration and in Congress have mused recently that Hegseth may leave the Pentagon if Republicans lose heavily in the midterms - either to avoid congressional scrutiny or to pursue potential political ambitions. It's possible, too, that the president could remove Hegseth if voters punish the GOP over the Iran war, though Trump has said he stands by him.

Two people familiar with Hegseth's thinking said the secretary wants to stay in office for four years. One said it's "silly" to think Democrats having greater control on Capitol Hill will change that.

The other person said that Hegseth's September address to hundreds of service members in Quantico, Virginia, was meant to be a road map for his next two years in office, including priorities such as building a new U.S. military base and adopting advanced weaponry.

An impeachment would be difficult for Hegseth if he does not stay in office, with significant legal costs and less control over what the Defense Department provides to congressional investigators, another person said.

Asked by a reporter Thursday about the prospect of an impeachment, Trump - twice impeached himself - called the threat against Hegseth "terrible" and repeated his confidence in the secretary.

"He's a great warrior," the president said.

Some Democrats acknowledged being concerned that, should they regain a majority in Congress, repeatedly targeting Hegseth could imperil their ability to compromise with Republicans on critical defense legislation. Still, many of those who sit on the committees that oversee the Pentagon say that Hegseth hasn't worked with them for his two years in office.

"Since I became ranking member, I have had the cellphone number of every single secretary of defense," said Smith, who has held the prominent House role for nearly 16 years. "Hegseth does not speak to me."

Others in the party have vowed to oust Hegseth.

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colorado), told reporters in October that he would do "everything possible" to remove Hegseth if Democrats retake the House.

Hegseth's defenders say they loathe the thought of Trump giving the Democrats "a scalp" by forcing him out, one administration official said.

With the president's support, Hegseth has survived multiple controversies, including his use of the commercial messaging app Signal to share highly sensitive details on an imminent military strike and the military's decision to kill two people who survived a strike on an alleged drug boat.

But in recent weeks, members of both parties have grown more willing to confront Hegseth, signaling they will block his preferred choices to lead the Army and denouncing his call to live-stream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, who committed a mass killing at Fort Hood in Texas in 2009.

Current and former officials familiar with the Pentagon's standing on Capitol Hill said that Hegseth's challenge after the midterms will be to shore up bipartisan support for the military and defend his record as lawmakers from both parties have grown more critical of him.

Two of the officials asserted that Hegseth could work across party lines, depending on how aggressive Democrats were in their investigations. Still, several others predicted that his critics, both in Congress and in the Pentagon, could feel more emboldened to oppose him if Democrats take power.

"Pete has made so many enemies - and uncontrollable enemies," one person familiar said.