The White House has warned incoming Democratic House Oversight chairman Robert Garcia that investigations into the Trump administration could cross into criminal conduct. White House counsel Will Scharf argued that threats against officials and subpoenas intended to violate constitutional rights could warrant investigation. Garcia says Congress will proceed. The dispute follows the Democrats’ midterm victories and their expected control of both chambers of Congress beginning in January.
The planned investigations cover Trump’s family and finances, immigration enforcement, the Epstein investigation, White House construction projects, mineral deals and cryptocurrency activities. Trump separately directed the Justice Department to look into Democrats over what he called threats against officials, without providing evidence in his public statement. The administration is also preparing to fight subpoenas and challenge the stated purposes of congressional investigations.
There is a legitimate line between congressional oversight and harassment. Lawmakers do not get unlimited power simply because they win an election. But the executive branch does not get to decide that investigations into its own conduct are criminal merely because it dislikes the questions. The administration’s warning raises a direct constitutional test: will it comply with lawful oversight, or use federal investigative power to discourage it? Democrats will have to show that their probes are evidence-driven and not just political payback. Both branches should be held to that standard.
https://apnews.com/article/12acd4e233792f687b80eb9636aea18d
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