Blanche declines to rule out action against Democrats threatening Trump probes

Trump orders a Justice Department look at Democrats

Trump used a Truth Social post on Saturday, 7 November, to accuse Democrats of threatening administration officials and Republican donors with investigations and impeachment. He named Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, and accused her of threatening young people with Republican views. He called the conduct extortion and wrote that he was directing the Department of Justice to examine it right away. The White House and the Justice Department had not answered requests for comment.

“This is extortion at the highest level, and they should be held accountable for this.”

Blanche stops short of promising charges

Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN's State of the Union that Congress holds constitutional oversight authority, but he argued the rhetoric had gone too far. Asked whether the department would investigate Democratic lawmakers, he named no criminal statute and did not confirm that an inquiry had begun. On whether lawmakers could face prison, he said the answer depended on the crimes they had committed, and on Fox News he tied any charges to what Democrats had said. He also said the department would supply legal defense to administration officials facing congressional scrutiny, Stephen Miller among them.

Earlier, in February, a federal grand jury turned down a Justice Department bid to indict Slotkin and five other Democratic lawmakers over a video urging service members to refuse unlawful orders.

Garcia vows to keep pressing the administration

Robert Garcia, who will chair the House Oversight Committee in the new Congress, formally announced his bid for the post in a letter to colleagues on Thursday, 5 November. He had already warned administration officials, including Stephen Miller, to hire lawyers. On Sunday he said members of Trump's family, among them Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner, could "absolutely" become subjects of the panel's investigations. He pointed to Elon Musk's purge of federal employees, donations from businesses to Trump's ballroom and Big Oil's access to Venezuelan resources as areas with real investigative work to do.

“They can come after us however they want. We're not going to be intimidated.”

Impeachment talk and a broader agenda

Hakeem Jeffries, poised to become speaker, said he expected strong support among Democrats for impeaching defence secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he accused of abusing power and driving a costly war in Iran. Outgoing Republican Thomas Massie said he would force a vote to impeach Hegseth in the coming week, though Democrats will not hold a House majority until January. Bernie Sanders told CNN he was "absolutely" open to impeaching health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. On NBC's Meet the Press, the Vermont senator urged Democrats to put affordability first.

“We cannot spend all of our time investigating Trump.”

Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters on Wednesday, 4 November, that Democrats should pass bills every week and force Trump to veto them. He pointed to bans on price gouging, super PACs and stock trading by lawmakers as priorities.

Justice Department braces for scrutiny

The Justice Department enters the next two years after little oversight from congressional Republican leaders, and it has been hollowed out by mass firings and an exodus of career staff. Committees are already hiring former career prosecutors who were fired or left since the start of Trump's second term. Several senior officials have departed since the election, including John Eisenberg, who headed the national security division, Harmeet K. Dhillon, who led the civil rights division, and Jason Reding Quiñones, the top prosecutor in South Florida. The Washington Post reports that the White House and Blanche had grown frustrated with their performance.

Midterm backdrop

Democrats swept the midterm elections held on Tuesday, 3 November, and will control both chambers of Congress from January. The Guardian calls it the biggest midterm defeat for an incumbent party in more than 50 years, with Republicans losing Senate seats they had held for decades. Trump remains in office until January 2029 and can veto bills that lack overwhelming support. The Senate filibuster also stays in place, so Republicans can block incoming Democratic bills that lack 60 votes.