Pat Ryan
Role at the time: U.S. representative for New York and a member of the House Armed Services Committee
Statement summary
Rep. Pat Ryan said impeachment talk about Hegseth would intensify but that building a credible case depends on subpoena power a future House majority would bring.
“To build a credible case, we have to leverage the subpoena power and other things that would come with a hypothetical majority to really make sure we have the receipts and it’s seen as a serious thing fitting our troops.”
Politico reports Democratic plans for Pentagon oversight and possible impeachment if the party wins the House, quoting Rep. Robert Garcia and Rep. Pat Ryan directly. No second outlet carrying these specific quotations was located.
Why we used this label
Relative to whether the House should impeach Hegseth, Ryan supports accountability yet conditions a credible impeachment case on investigative powers his party does not currently hold. He expressly cautions that “doing it the right way and succeeding is important,” which makes the position conditional rather than a present endorsement.