Pentagon, Inc.

Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth narrowly escaped impeachment charges on Tuesday. This missed opportunity places him on the path to a reckoning in the coming year. Congressional committees hold extensive investigative authority, such as subpoenaing administration officials to testify under oath and demanding the submission of documents.

A substantial number of Democrats, energized by their recent electoral setbacks against the GOP, are eager for confrontation. Richard Ojeda, a newly elected representative from North Carolina, stated that Hegseth should not only be impeached but also prosecuted, alleging that he was responsible for the deaths of people in the Caribbean and the killing of 163 children in Iran.

A substantial amount of evidence is expected to be presented against Hegseth. While he could be found guilty of numerous crimes, this does not guarantee that he will face justice. In this light, Rebecca Gordon, a regular contributor to TomDispatch, turns back the clock to the 1980s to examine the case of Oliver North, a National Security Council aide managing a project to fund Nicaraguan "Contras" using money from illicit missile sales to Iran.

Convicted on three felony counts, North successfully fought to have his convictions overturned and has since built a career at Fox News, the same conservative platform that propelled him to prominence under President Donald Trump. Gordon's historical analysis suggests that Hegseth's Pentagon might evolve into a self-sufficient, independent economic entity, surpassing government control and resembling the military machinery of nations like Egypt and Iran.