By — Amna Nawaz Amna Nawaz By — Jonah Anderson Jonah Anderson Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/white-house-threatens-democrats-over-plans-to-investigate-trump-officials Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio With Democrats set to take control of Congress, the White House is threatening them over investigations into the Trump administration. The top White House lawyer warned that aggressive oversight of the administration “may cross the line into blatant criminality.” It comes amid a wave of resignations within the Justice Department. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Devlin Barrett of The New York Times. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: As Democrats gear up to take control of Congress, the White House is threatening them over planned investigations into the Trump administration.In a letter this week, the top White House lawyer warned the likely incoming House Oversight chair, Robert Garcia, that aggressive oversight of the administration -- quote -- "may cross the line into blatant criminality."It comes amid a wave of high-profile resignations…
White House threatens Democrats over plans to investigate Trump officials
In short
A formal letter to likely incoming House Oversight chair Robert Garcia warned that planned oversight efforts could amount to criminal behavior, a stance echoed publicly by Attorney General Todd Blanche. The White House strategy indicates an intent to actively resist all future subpoenas and investigations once Democrats take control of Congress. The escalating rhetoric unfolds alongside notable friction within the executive branch itself, where multiple high-ranking Department of Justice figures have recently resigned. These departures were partly spurred by administration dissatisfaction over the lack of criminal charges brought against former officials.
Key points
- The administration is laying the groundwork to contest all incoming congressional subpoen…: The administration is laying the groundwork to contest all incoming congressional subpoenas and investigative inquiries.
- Legal observers point out that the administration lacks an articulated legal basis to tre…: Legal observers point out that the administration lacks an articulated legal basis to treat congressional oversight as criminal conduct.
- Recent high-profile Justice Department resignations stem in part from internal frustratio…: Recent high-profile Justice Department resignations stem in part from internal frustration over the failure to indict former officials.