House Republicans killed an impeachment push against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, prompting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to promise a flood of investigations once Democrats take control of Congress in January.
Democrats Gear Up for Investigations
Democrats won the House and Senate in last week’s midterms, giving them unified control of Congress and every investigative tool available. That control means they can launch inquiries into any administration official.
CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju asked whether Democrats would pursue Hegseth again in the new Congress.
“There are so many criminals in this administration, it’s hard to figure out who should be the order of operations,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “There are going to be many, many, many investigations, many subpoenas, and we will follow wherever the evidence leads.”
Republican leaders warn that the probe agenda will become a political weapon. Rep. Jim Jordan, the incoming House minority leader, told Sean Hannity that Democrats will target cabinet officials and private citizens linked to the administration, turning investigations into weapons against opponents.
“It will be every committee. There will be a third impeachment. They can’t help themselves,” Jordan said.
Ocasio-Cortez has advocated expanding the Supreme Court to 13 justices, and incoming Speaker Hakeem Jeffries has called for sweeping judiciary reforms, but both proposals face steep hurdles.
Court‑packing requires a 60‑vote threshold in the Senate, which Democrats lack, and a presidential veto that is all but certain. The Court has remained at nine justices since 1869, and impeachment of a justice would need a two‑thirds Senate vote — a threshold Democrats cannot reach without Republican support.
No justice has ever been removed; the only impeachment of a justice, Samuel Chase, ended in acquittal in 1805.
With Congress still months away from taking office, Democrats are already lining up targets and promising that evidence will materialize once they gain power, raising concerns about a rapid expansion of partisan investigations.
