The White House is scrambling and trying everything it can to prevent the Democratic pummelling they know is coming.
On Monday, Will Scharf, the White House’s top lawyer, sent a letter threatening a criminal investigation to Robert Garcia, the incoming House Oversight Chair, claiming that they are conducting illegal investigations into the Trump administration. While the letter was sent Monday, it wasn’t revealed to the press until Wednesday.
If you have trouble understanding this political jargon, just know that this letter is the government equivalent of children yelling, “Omar is coming” on Baltimore streets.
The White House is petrified of what they know is to come.
The letter reportedly informs Garcia that the White House is “monitoring the abusive and capricious threats that are now proliferating from Democrat legislators who seek to abuse the legislative process to intimidate and to interfere with the lawful functioning of government,” Politico reports.
The letter also includes statements made by Garcia and several of his Democratic colleagues claiming that they are attempting to “deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear.”
Scharf claims that, if not checked, their actions could veer into the realm of “blatant criminality” and could prompt a White House investigation.
“The attorney’s comments track closely with social media posts from President Donald Trump, who has suggested Democrats could face criminal consequences for their aggressive posture. It’s a departure from precedent, as the Justice Department is typically the front line for engaging with Congress on matters related to congressional oversight,” Politico reports.
Garcia’s central complaint is that congressional subpoenas have to be based on a clear “legislative purpose” and can’t be used or threatened merely to harass or intimidate. Politico notes that courts have been rather lenient in reviewing why congressional committees have selected which people to subpoena.
“It appears Donald Trump has something to hide. Let’s be clear: Congress’ authority comes from Article I of the Constitution, not from the permission of the White House. Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, an authority inherent in the power to legislate,” Garcia said in a statement.
“The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse,” he continued. “The Trump Administration continues to weaponize the government with threats of unconstitutional attacks on Congress. We are a co-equal branch of government and will not be deterred by baseless threats from a weaponized DOJ or from the President’s lawyers.”
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