White House counsel says threats against officials could cross into ‘blatant criminality’
Rep. Robert Garcia, the California Democrat expected to chair the House Oversight Committee in January, said Thursday that Democrats will keep investigating President Trump’s administration even after the White House warned that some of that scrutiny could amount to criminal conduct. “We’re not going to be deterred, and we’re certainly not going to be intimidated by Donald Trump or anyone in the administration,” Garcia told NPR’s Morning Edition.
Garcia placed alleged corruption involving Trump’s family at the top of the Democrats’ investigative agenda, citing a $2 billion Saudi investment in a firm led by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He also called for investigations into former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former DHS adviser Corey Lewandowski over reported possible pay-to-play schemes.
Describing the scope of the work ahead, Garcia said: “Our job is to investigate, to take issues to the courts, to make criminal referrals, and to write good legislation so that this kind of corruption doesn’t happen again.”
Garcia said Democrats would continue pursuing the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of overseeing civilian killings at sea, misappropriating funds and launching illegal wars. “I expect that the issue around impeachment hasn’t ended,” he said.
Set against that agenda is the White House warning. In a letter dated Monday and made public Wednesday, White House counsel Will Scharf accused Democratic lawmakers of making “abusive and capricious threats” to investigate the administration, and Scharf said threats against executive branch officials or efforts to intimidate them through congressional proceedings could cross into “blatant criminality.”
The warning comes as Democrats prepare to take control of the House in January, and it lands within a broader pattern of statements from the administration that includes Trump’s calls for Democratic lawmakers to face jail time and Attorney General Todd Blanche’s refusal to rule out investigations or prosecutions.