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Trump orders DOJ to investigate Democrats who conduct oversight. Blanche promises retaliation but names no crime.

Trump called Democrats' accountability promises "extortion" and told Blanche to look into it. Blanche said there "could be" investigations.

Trump orders DOJ to investigate Democrats who conduct oversight. Blanche promises retaliation but names no crime.
Stock photo, not from the event described. Photo by J. Amill Santiago on Unsplash

President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department on Saturday to investigate Democrats who have promised to hold his administration accountable, and Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday there "could be" such investigations. Neither has named a specific crime or statute, according to Democracy Docket.

The order and the interview

On Truth Social, Trump called Democrats' promises of accountability "extortion at the highest level" and told Blanche to "look into this criminal act, immediately!" He wrote that "the imprisonment should be against these EXTORTIONISTS," Democracy Docket reported. Trump also accused Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) of threatening young people. That appears to refer to her remarks last month at the University of Chicago that she wanted graduates to ask, "Should I go work for the Trump administration?"

On CNN, Dana Bash pressed Blanche on whether the conduct was a crime. CNN's segment was titled "'There could be' investigations into Democratic lawmakers conducting oversight of the Trump administration." According to Democracy Docket's account, Blanche said "it depends on what's said," and that there "could be" a crime "when the threats become so vile and so dangerous." Bash noted the Constitution gives Congress oversight power. Blanche replied that Democrats were going beyond oversight by threatening to impeach cabinet members and "going after" private companies.

On Fox News, Blanche told host Gillian Turner, "If you work in this administration, you have a lawyer. It's me," Democracy Docket reported. He gave no start date for any investigation of Democrats.

What Democrats have said

Democrats have been public about their oversight plans. On Tuesday night, Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the incoming Oversight Committee chairman, told the White House to "Lawyer up." On Wednesday, Schumer said, "Whenever Trump defies the will of the American people or the law, we will launch investigations, take him to court and entangle him in legislative razor wire," NBC News reported. Not every Democrat wants that focus: Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas told "Meet the Press" he would be "deeply disappointed" to spend two years investigating.

Part of a pattern

This follows a string of Justice Department efforts aimed at Trump's critics. For example:

  • Nov. 6, 2026: U.S. Attorney Jason Reding Quiñones, who oversaw the "grand conspiracy" probe of officials from earlier Democratic administrations, resigned. No charges had been brought, according to NBC News and CBS News. CBS described an inquiry "plagued by internal disputes and doubts about its viability."
  • Recently: The administration failed to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, NBC reported.
  • Pending: Prosecutors are seeking a case against former FBI Director James Comey over alleged conduct in October 2016, and a separate Comey case is pending in North Carolina, NBC reported.

What to watch

Democrats take control of the House and Senate in January, and subpoena power comes with the House. NBC reported that an unnamed ally of Trump's says new chief of staff Stephen Miller will be combative with Congress over investigations. WorkersRights.News has also covered Blanche's statement that DOJ is Miller's lawyer and the Reding Quiñones resignation.

Sources

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