Four investigations Democrats could launch if they win Congress

**Four investigations Democrats could launch if they win Congress**

Democrats have indicated they are prepared to open inquiries into both Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth over their handling of the Iran war.

Democrats in the US Congress are already mapping out how they would use their authority if they secure a majority in the House or Senate in next week's midterm elections.

Although victory is far from certain, taking control of either chamber would give the party the power to issue subpoenas, along with extra funding to begin investigations early next year.

Democrats are considering whether to probe senior Trump administration officials - and possibly the president himself. According to people familiar with the talks, staffers have started putting together a list of possible investigations and witnesses.

Here are some of the possible Democratic targets if the party wins on 3 November.

Democrats have made clear that profitable arrangements tied to the Trump family's sprawling business empire would be among the first subjects of any investigation.

"We want to make sure that [American] taxpayer dollars are being used wisely and not being stolen or pocketed because of corruption," Virginia Democratic Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the House Oversight Committee, told the BBC.

Possible areas for scrutiny include links between the administration and corporate interests - especially cryptocurrency companies - as well as the overseas business dealings of the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Other possible subjects include the $400m (£301m) plane gifted by Qatar to serve as Air Force One and multimillion-dollar defence contracts awarded to companies connected to the Trump family.

"What's shocking to me is not only that this administration, cabinet officials and even the president and his family have been corrupt and self-dealing, but they've been so brazen and open about it," Subramanyam said.

The White House has repeatedly rejected any claims of wrongdoing.

"President Trump is focused on retaining Republican majorities in Congress and doubling down on the progress he has made to lower costs for families," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said.

"Democrats have no agenda to improve the lives of the American people, just plans to obstruct and baselessly target President Trump's commonsense agenda," she added.

A White House official said the administration is "always prepared" to answer oversight requests no matter who controls Congress.

Democratic lawmakers have pledged to examine Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's handling of the war with Iran that began in February - including civilian casualty numbers, munitions shortages, spending, and allegations that troops and facilities were poorly prepared.

According to a source familiar with the discussions, other possible topics could include boat strikes in the Caribbean that the administration says are intended to stop drugs from reaching the US.

In April, a group of House Democrats introduced rare articles of impeachment against Hegseth. They pointed to the war in Iran and accused him of "high crimes and misdemeanours".

Impeachment needs only a simple majority in the House, but conviction - and removal from office - would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate. No cabinet official has ever been removed in this way.

Some experts think the negative publicity generated by congressional hearings could eventually result in Hegseth being fired or resigning.

"[If] it looks bad for the White House, and it's a drag on their media attention, President Trump might be likely to cut loose those officials, because he doesn't want that bad press," said David Miller, a political science professor and expert on the presidency at American University in Washington DC. "In a sense that could be a win for the Democrats."

Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer under George W Bush, told the BBC that the decision to launch the war should be examined.

"The bigger issue is this: this war was never authorised by the United States Congress, and I don't care who the secretary of defence is," he said.

"The constitution says that Congress declares war," he said, and lawmakers should "haul these folks in" to answer questions.

In a statement, Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson defended Hegseth's record, describing him as a "transformative leader" who has "slashed bureaucracy, unleashed innovation, and delivered for our warfighters".

"By every measurable metric, the Department of War is better under Secretary Hegseth's leadership than before," she said, using the administration's preferred name for the defence department.

The aircraft gifted by Qatar to serve as Air Force One is also likely to be a focus of Democratic investigations.

Senior Democrats - including Robert Garcia, the California Democrat chosen to lead the House Oversight Committee if the party retakes the chamber - have identified immigration enforcement as a major priority for possible congressional investigations.

These could look into allegations of misconduct by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during immigration raids nationwide.

But such investigations may be difficult and politically sensitive.

In 2024, Trump campaigned on a pledge of mass deportations of undocumented migrants - a message that appealed to many of his supporters.

However, recent polls indicate that many Americans, including some who voted for Trump in that election, are uneasy about some of the tactics ICE has used in US cities so far this year.

That means Democrats will need to tread carefully between opposing ICE tactics and seeming to dismiss wider immigration concerns, Painter told the BBC.

Democrats are divided over whether to try to impeach Trump for a third time.

Some, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have backed impeachment, pointing to what they see as an unauthorised war with Iran and other alleged impeachable conduct.

Others have urged a more cautious strategy, saying any impeachment is unlikely to lead to the Senate voting to remove Trump - who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing - from office.

It is also uncertain whether the party could agree on grounds to begin impeachment proceedings.

"I can do whatever I want, if I want," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office in October, adding that he views the impeachment efforts in his first term and the later criminal cases against him as "very illegal things".

James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told the Washington Sun news outlet in June that Democrats were "one-trick ponies" who were "going to go after Trump".

There is no assurance for Democrats that any investigation would produce a meaningful result.

But Subramanyam said their efforts would still send a signal.

"If we do not do something because we are scared of the optics, or we don't think it will be successful, or they stonewall us, that will be bad," he said. "Not just for the next two years, but for the next 20 years."