Democrats cautious on impeaching Trump ... Could compromise by ousting the Secretary of War [U.S. midterm elections]

[Financial News] Democrats, having swept both chambers in the U.S. midterm elections, plan to work to reverse President Donald Trump’s policies rather than impeach him. To avoid backlash from an overreaching impeachment effort, party leaders are considering appeasing hardliners by impeaching the Secretary of War (Defense) instead of the president.
According to local media outlets including CNN, Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House Minority Leader from New York and a leading contender to become the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was asked at a news conference on the 4th (local time) whether anyone in his party was pushing to impeach the president. He said, “No Democratic member of the House has talked to me about impeachment. We have remained relentlessly focused on the cost of living and accountability.”
In the U.S. Congress, impeaching a president requires the support of a simple majority in the House (218 seats) and two-thirds of the Senate (67 seats). In the midterm elections on the 3rd, Democrats won more than half the seats in the House but secured only a minimum of 54 Senate seats. During Trump’s first administration, Democrats passed articles of impeachment twice in the House, but were blocked by the Senate both times.
On the 4th, U.S. news magazine Time noted that although Democrats won this time, they remain unpopular. Exit polls from the midterm elections the previous day put the Democrats’ support rating at 46%, not far from the Republican Party’s 41%. Democrats recaptured Congress on the strength of the “hold Trump accountable” message, but failed to offer a concrete political vision. Time noted that Democrats face many urgent tasks ahead of the 2028 presidential election, including reassessing their hard-left platform, stabilizing prices and checking the Trump administration. Senator Adam Schiff of California, who served as a Democratic impeachment manager during Trump’s first administration, also said Democrats should take a clear-eyed look at public opinion. On the 4th, President Trump warned that Democrats would “be destroyed” if they pursued his impeachment.
Time nevertheless predicted that calls for impeachment would emerge within the Democratic Party in one form or another. As a compromise, party leaders are considering impeaching Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, instead of Trump. On the 4th, CNN reported that Republican House members were also preparing a vote to impeach Hegseth within days over missteps in the Iran war. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being discussed as his successor. There is also speculation that President Donald Trump may replace Hegseth before impeachment proceedings begin. CBS reported that day that Trump was discussing with close aides whether to replace Hegseth.
Democrats are also preparing a congressional investigation into alleged corruption involving the Trump family and his associates. Representative Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California who is a leading contender to chair the House Oversight Committee in next year’s session, warned in an interview on the 4th, “The Trump crime family is the top priority of our investigation.” The New York Times (NYT) reported that Democrats are expected to investigate cryptocurrency-related conflicts of interest involving the Trump family; overseas dealings by Trump family businesses; various favors involving eldest son Donald Trump Jr.; alleged influence-peddling related to presidential pardons; and preferential treatment tied to construction of a new White House ballroom.

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