Pentagon whistleblowers ready to ‘spill their guts’ to oust Hegseth after midterms: report

Pentagon whistleblowers ready to ‘spill their guts’ to oust Hegseth after midterms: report Defense Secretary and his closest allies could quickly find themselves hit by subpoenas if opposition Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives come November - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in House Democrats have already begun to make contact with potential Pentagon whistleblowers prepared to “spill their guts” should they launch a congressional investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to a report. The opposition has been widely predicted to win back the House of Representatives at next month’s midterms, which would see it regain control of its powerful investigative committees and enable its members to make life much more difficult for President Donald Trump’s administration. The Daily Telegraph reports that House Democrats – confident of seizing back majority control of the lower chamber of Congress – are already seeking out possible witnesses prepared to speak out against Hegseth’s leadership of the Department of Defense. They are also said to be readying subpoenas for the secretary and his closest advisers, including his top aide Ricky Buria and wife Jen Hegseth. “There’s going to be a lot of people that are going to very quietly go to the chair of the Armed [Services] Committee and are going to spill their guts, provide them with everything they can and leak everything they can,” a source told the Telegraph. “It’ll be horrendous. It’ll be consistent embarrassment.” A military veteran and former Fox News presenter, Hegseth has overseen a chaotic reign at the Pentagon, firing numerous top officials and instigating culture war battles before becoming the face of the Iran war, which is now lurching towards its ninth month without resolution. Investigating Democrats will hope to uncover damaging revelations about his tenure that could lead to his impeachment or pressure Trump to fire him. An unnamed Democratic member of congress told the newspaper that impeachment was their side’s ultimate goal but said they would not pursue it until “we have done a thorough investigation and have all the facts to hand.” Outgoing Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, an enemy of the president’s, already filed articles of impeachment against the secretary last month, accusing him of high crimes and misdemeanors, which could prove to be a taste of things to come. Any investigation is likely to involve the House Oversight Committee, the Judiciary Committee and the Armed Services Committee and could revolve around last year’s “Signalgate” scandal, in which Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a group chat with senior Cabinet officials in which sensitive information was shared and discussed. A former senior administration official told the Telegraph that the secretary was facing problems of his own making, explaining: “Through his arrogance, he’s made many former allies willing to work with Democrats to hold his feet to the fire for all the damage he’s done to our military.” “I hope he and his inner circle have some very strong legal insurance given what they’re facing once Democrats get the gavels,” the official added. Another source said Hegseth’s enemies either regard him as a “threat to national security” or simply “don’t like him.” Trump has been much less willing to remove secretaries in his second term but did dismiss national security adviser Mike Waltz over Signalgate, as well as Kristi Noem and Pam Bondi from their posts leading the departments of Homeland Security and Justice respectively and, last week, his new press secretary Katie Zachariah after just five days. It was reported earlier this week that insiders fear the president could go on a “rampage” if Republicans do perform poorly at the midterms and seek someone else to blame, with Hegseth’s name one of several mentioned. Responding to the comments, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “At the war department, we are solely focused on peace through strength and ensuring our warfighters have everything they need to be successful. We are proud to serve our warriors.” The Independent has also reached out to the department for comment. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments