Scoop: Schumer's private Hegseth plotting

• Paperwork delays meant the background checks and other materials for top Trump nominees were given to lawmakers late. Democrats have pushed for the reports to be available to all members before the hearings.
• Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the panel's top Democrat, met with Hegseth last week. Reed said the meeting did not relieve his concerns about Hegseth's nomination.
• Hegseth's hearing is the party's first shot to carry out the demands handed down by Schumer — skewer Trump's nominees and the MAGA brand.

Zoom in: The background report on Hegseth is particularly important given allegations of sexual assault and financial mismanagement of a nonprofit group.

• Republican senators at the time said the allegations were concerning and wanted more details about the complaints.
• Hegseth has denied wrongdoing.

The big picture: Schumer has been intimately involved in his caucus' prep for the confirmation hearing showdowns. For him, and for Democrats, the stakes are high.

• "Republicans spent four years attacking the Democratic brand and we need to use the hearings to begin returning the favor," Schumer told top Democrats in a private meeting in early January.
• The background check issues will likely rear their head in the hearings. Schumer has criticized Republicans for "rushing" the nomination hearings of nominees like Hegseth.