The new Democratic chairman of the powerful Congressional Oversight Committee said it appears Donald Trump has “something to hide” after the White House threatened to open criminal investigations into the party’s planned oversight of the administration.
Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, pledged to continue his efforts in the face of what he
called them “baseless threats” after receiving a letter from White House counsel William Scharf who warned that Democrats’ promises to use them to investigate the president “could cross the line into blatant criminality.”
Scharf argued that congressional investigations must have a legitimate legislative purpose and cannot be used to punish targets or set the stage for prosecution.
Garcia said in a statement that Congress’s authority derives from Article I of the Constitution, “not from White House authorization.” He described this power as inherent in the work of drafting laws.
“The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse,” Garcia said Wednesday, accusing the administration of continuing to weaponize the government with “threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress.”
Corruption became a key issue in last week’s midterm elections. While the economy was the issue voters cited most often as the nation’s top problem in NBC News exit polls, 90 percent of voters said corruption was a crucial or major factor in their vote.
After promising during the campaign to tackle these issues, Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress and will come into January with their largest majority in the House since 2008. Trump wrote on social media that he was not responsible for Republican losses, and later posted an image of a cap embroidered with the word “veto.”
Scharf’s letter also referenced public remarks by new Democratic lawmakers. He said Rep.-elect Richard Ojeda of North Carolina wants to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “squirm,” that Texas Rep.-elect Katy Padilla Stout told witnesses to “put on makeup for the cameras” and that Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona described accountability as ultimately ending in prison. He also took aim at Garcia’s “Lawyer Up” campaign, saying his intention was “not to legislate, but to intimidate.”
Garcia remained impassive. “We are a co-equal branch of government and will not be deterred by baseless threats from an armed Justice Department or the president’s lawyers,” he said.
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