The White House has threatened to investigate Democrat lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee for using lawfare to target President Donald Trump and his allies.
After winning back control of the House and Senate last Tuesday, Democrat lawmakers have vowed to launch a series of investigations into the president, members of his family, and his allies.
From Politico:
The White House’s top lawyer is threatening a criminal investigation of Democrats for conducting what he alleges are illegitimate investigations into the executive branch — a stark escalation from the Trump administration as congressional Democrats prepare to launch an oversight onslaught when they assume the majority in January.
White House counsel Will Scharf, in a letter to incoming House Oversight Committee Chair Robert Garcia, says Democrats’ repeated public promises to use their new majority to investigate the president and his allies could cross constitutional limits — and even amount to illegal threats.
The letter, dated Monday but publicly revealed Wednesday, informs the California Democrat that the White House is “monitoring the abusive and capricious threats that are now proliferating from Democrat legislators who seek to abuse the legislative process to intimidate and to interfere with the lawful functioning of government.”
It also cites several statements from Garcia and his Democratic colleagues, attempting to paint their efforts as unmoored in a legislative purpose and instead as threats “designed to deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear.”
Scharf further warns Garcia that those actions could venture into the realm of “blatant criminality” and could give rise to an investigation by the executive branch into Congress.
The attorney’s comments track closely with social media posts from President Donald Trump, who has suggested Democrats could face criminal consequences for their aggressive posture. It’s a departure from precedent, as the Justice Department is typically the front line for engaging with Congress on matters related to congressional oversight.
Garcia responded to the threat in a statement posted on social media.
It appears Donald Trump has something to hide. Let’s be clear: Congress’ authority comes from Article I of the Constitution, not from the permission of the White House. Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, an authority inherent in the power to legislate.
The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse. The Trump administration continues to weaponize the government with threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress. We are a co-equal branch of government and will not be deterred by baseless threats from a weaponized DOJ or from the President’s lawyers."
Ranking Member @RepRobertGarcia statement in response to new legal threats from White House as they try to stop Congressional Oversight: https://t.co/2ymvSmr6ZX
— Oversight Dems (@OversightDems) November 11, 2026
After Democrats’ victory in the midterm elections, Garcia began publicly warning the Trump administration that investigations are coming. In a post on X, he wrote, “lawyer up.”
He further stated that “the days of us not fighting back are over.”
Garcia’s target will be the Trump family business and crypto dealings, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abuses, and Elon Musk’s involvement with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative.
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