Trump Orders DOJ Probe Into Democratic Impeachment Threats
The president claims the new House and Senate leadership are engaging in extortion following their midterm sweep.
By Rosa Wojcik ·
President Donald Trump ordered the Department of Justice to investigate Democratic lawmakers on Saturday after they threatened to impeach members of his administration.
The directive comes after Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections. Trump characterized the new political dynamic as a hostile environment, asserting that the opposing party is using its new power to threaten officials.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated, "The Democrats are out there threatening a lot of people." He described the situation as "extortion at the highest level" and argued that the actions of the new congressional leadership justified a criminal inquiry. "These extortionists should be in jail," he wrote.
The president specifically named Attorney General Todd Blanche and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as targets of Democratic scrutiny. The new Democratic leadership has pledged to investigate both the president and his senior staff, citing potential misconduct in various policy areas.
Key areas of focus for the new committees include the Trump family's cryptocurrency transactions, government contracts involving Elon Musk, federal agency budget cuts, immigration enforcement, and the war against Iran. The Democrats also expressed interest in reviewing files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
Robert Garcia, the new chair of the House Oversight Committee, urged Trump to "hire lawyers" on X as election results solidified. He noted that Democrats can now subpoena officials and hold public hearings, a power that allows for intense oversight. The administration may resist these demands, potentially leading to legal battles.
While Democrats control the committee chairs, they hold a simple majority in the House, which is sufficient to launch an impeachment inquiry. However, removing a president requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate, a threshold that exceeds the current Democratic majority.
