The White House has warned Democrats against pursuing planned investigations into the Trump administration, suggesting that such probes, despite being a routine oversight responsibility of Congress, could amount to "blatant criminality."
White House counsel Will Scharf issued the warning in a letter dated Monday to Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
Garcia is expected to chair the influential committee when Democrats take control of the House in January. Following his party's major victories in last week's midterm elections, Garcia warned Trump administration officials to "lawyer up."
In response, Scharf wrote that "threats to executive branch officials designed to deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient may cross the line into blatant criminality." Punchbowl News first reported the letter.
The exchange marks the latest confrontation as the White House prepares for a clash with newly empowered Democrats in both chambers of Congress next year, with significant implications for congressional oversight and the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches.
Garcia rejects White House warning
Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Garcia said "Donald Trump is clearly hiding something," stressing that Democrats would not be threatened or intimidated.
"The truth is that he needs to understand that Congress is a coequal branch of government," Garcia said.
He also defended his post-election "lawyer up" warning, saying the White House was thin-skinned and unable to withstand criticism.
"If you have abused the American public, you should lawyer up," Garcia said. "If you're a corporate CEO and you're ripping off the American people, you should lawyer up."
Democrats are preparing an extensive oversight agenda, including investigations into how Trump and his family have increased their wealth since his return to office. The Republican president and his administration have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Garcia also wants to examine the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Other potential areas of scrutiny include Trump's White House ballroom and other construction projects, the Trump family's involvement in mineral deals and Trump's cryptocurrency dealings with special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Republican committee chairman stresses independence
Rep. James Comer, a Kentucky Republican who currently chairs the House Oversight Committee and led an extensive investigation into former President Joe Biden and his family, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he had not yet read the White House letter but emphasised the committee's independence.
"Regardless of who is in the White House, there's always going to be a strong desire for the Oversight Committee to be a check and balance on the executive branch, regardless of the political scenario," Comer said.
He described Garcia's "lawyer up" remarks as being in bad taste but acknowledged that Democrats had won the election and would take control of the committee. He said he expected Garcia's fellow Democrats to rein him in if he went too far.
Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN in an interview aired Sunday that there "could be" a crime to investigate if Democrats' rhetoric became threatening.
However, during an appearance in Missouri this week, he adopted a more conciliatory tone, acknowledging Congress's oversight authority and saying the Justice Department and federal government would continue cooperating with lawmakers on their inquiries, whether through subpoenas or letters.
"Nothing I've said this weekend, or in the past, should suggest otherwise," he added.
Nevertheless, other Justice Department officials continued to push back against Democratic investigations.
Aaron Reitz, the US attorney for the Southern District of Texas, wrote to Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday, asking him to preserve all records related to his investigations.
Blumenthal is expected to lead a powerful Senate investigative committee when Democrats assume control in January.
Reitz accused Blumenthal's efforts of showing an "intent to deprive citizens of their core constitutional rights," referring to an October letter the senator sent to donors to the proposed White House ballroom.
Blumenthal rejected the warning, saying he would not be intimidated.
"The Trump administration is so afraid of transparency and oversight that they are weaponizing the Department of Justice to baselessly target Congress in direct violation of the Constitution," he said in a statement.
Lawmakers divided over planned investigations
Outgoing Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a critic of Trump, said he hoped Democrats would not waste their newly gained powers on "stupid things."
"I hope they have real hearings about real things, not another Russia-gate," he said, referring to an earlier congressional investigation into links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Trump repeatedly dismissed that investigation as a "hoax."
Massie, who lost his primary election to a Republican challenger backed by Trump, said he believed there was some genuine corruption involving the president and people around him.
Meanwhile, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, a California Democrat expected to become the next chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said the White House's warnings would not deter him from pursuing investigations.
"If they're trying to intimidate, at least for me, it's not going to get me," DeSaulnier said. He added that he did not work for "a mafia, a mob organization."
DeSaulnier was a Republican before switching to the Democratic Party in 2000.