White House warns Democrats over planned Trump administration probes

Summarised from 6 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 11 Nov, 23:33 · Archive

The White House has warned that Democratic investigations into the Trump administration planned for the next Congress may constitute criminal conduct.

White House Counsel Will Scharf has written to incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia with a warning about planned Democratic investigations into the Trump administration. Scharf stated that investigations intended to harass officials or deprive citizens of their constitutional rights 'may cross the line into blatant criminality' and could warrant further investigation by the executive branch.

In his letter dated Monday and released Wednesday, Scharf reminded Garcia of 'the foundational limits that the Constitution imposes on congressional investigations and subpoenas'. He argued that congressional inquiries require a legitimate legislative purpose and cannot be deployed to punish targets or lay groundwork for prosecutions. Scharf also cited recent public statements from Democratic members of Congress previewing their planned investigations.

Garcia, set to chair the Oversight Committee when Democrats take control of the House in January, fired back in a statement. He said Congress's authority comes from Article I of the Constitution 'not from the permission of the White House'. Garcia accused the Trump administration of weaponizing the government with 'threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress'.

Garcia stated that it appears Trump 'has something to hide' given the White House's warnings. He vowed to proceed with investigations, emphasising that Congress has 'wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight' as an authority inherent in the power to legislate. Garcia described Scharf's warnings as 'baseless threats'.

Democrats won back control of both chambers of Congress in recent elections and will have their largest House majority since 2008 when they are sworn in on 3 January. Some Democratic lawmakers have made public statements about their investigative intentions, with remarks ranging from warnings to officials to lawyer up to promises to issue subpoenas liberally.

Scharf's letter foreshadows a brewing conflict between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats, who have pledged to launch investigations into various issues. The White House has positioned itself to mount an aggressive defence against these efforts, with the letter making clear the administration views the planned probes as potentially unlawful.

How it is being reported

• Democrats are already at risk of AGAIN overplaying anti-Trump lawfareCorruption was a real issue for many voters this year, but Democrats are already starting to overplay their hand — and the White House is pointing it out. Even before the last polls closed, House Oversight Committee Chairman-to-be Robert Garcia posted “LAWYER UP” — warning that any and every Trump official could face investigation, public...New York Post · 11 Nov, 23:25
• Trump’s White House calls Democratic plans for congressional probes ‘abuse’Democratic lawmaker Robert Garcia denounced a White House letter as an unconstitutional attack on legislative branch.Al Jazeera · 11 Nov, 20:39
• Top Dem on committee fires back after White House counsel warns against overreach amid investigation threatsWhite House counsel Will Scharf warns House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform ranking member Rep. Robert Garcia against overreaching congressional authority.Fox News · 11 Nov, 18:35
• White House sends chilling threat to top Democrat orchestrating 'harassing' investigations into Trump family: 'Blatant criminality'The Trump administration has fired a warning at Democrats after their midterm election victory, accusing incoming House investigators of plotting to abuse their new subpoena powers.Daily Mail · 11 Nov, 18:22
• Democrat says Trump has ‘something to hide’ after White House threatens oversight effortsWhite House warns Democratic pledges to investigate president ‘may cross line into blatant criminality’ The incoming Democratic chair of the powerful congressional oversight committee said it appears Donald Trump has “something to hide” after the White House threatened criminal investigations over the party’s planned scrutiny of the administration. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the oversight committee in the House of Representatives, vowed to press on in the face of what he Continue reading...Guardian World · 11 Nov, 16:54
• White House warns of "blatant criminality" in Democratic probesWhite House counsel Will Scharf warned that congressional subpoenas could lead to investigations from the executive branch.CBS News · 11 Nov, 16:53
• White House blasts Democrats planning probes of Trump admin: ‘Will not be extorted and will not be cowed’White House Counsel Will Scharf warned Rep. Robert Garcia that the administration "will not be extorted" by planned House Democratic probes.New York Post · 11 Nov, 14:49

In this story: Will Scharf · Robert Garcia · Donald Trump · White House · House Oversight Committee · Congress

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