White House Warns Democrats Over Planned Trump Investigations

By Staff, Agencies

White House Counsel Will Scharf has warned House Democrats that their plans to investigate US President Donald Trump’s administration “may cross the line into blatant criminality,” escalating tensions ahead of the new Congress taking office.

The dispute follows Democrats’ pledge to launch a wide-ranging series of investigations after securing control of the House of Representatives in last week’s midterm elections. The planned probes are expected to examine alleged corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuses of power within the administration.

In a three-page letter sent Wednesday to incoming House Oversight Committee Chairman Robert Garcia, Scharf argued that congressional investigations must remain within constitutional limits.

He accused Garcia and other incoming lawmakers of having “evinced a clear intent to transgress” those limits, describing their statements as “abusive and capricious threats” against Trump and members of his administration.

Garcia rejected the warning, maintaining that Congress has the constitutional authority to conduct independent oversight and would not be deterred by what he called “baseless threats” from the administration or the Justice Department. He said voters had given Democrats a mandate “to root out corruption and abuse.”

The exchange follows Garcia’s own warning on election night, when he delivered a two-word message to the incoming Congress after projections indicated Democrats would take control of the House: “Lawyer up.”

Garcia has identified several areas for investigation, including alleged corruption involving the Trump family, corporate misconduct, claims of abuse by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

The inquiries are also expected to examine the Trump family’s business dealings, including cryptocurrency and mineral agreements, as well as construction projects at the White House.

White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis previously said Trump was willing to work with Democrats to deliver results for Americans, but warned that pursuing “sham investigations” and “radical-left policies” would mean acting “against the American people.”