Attorney General Todd Blanche opened the door for investigations into Democratic members of Congress who have promised to probe members of the Trump administration, saying the lawmakers’ rhetoric has gone far beyond mere oversight of the executive branch.
“You honestly think that all they’re doing is talking about their oversight obligations when they’re talking about going after basically every member of the Cabinet?” Blanche said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “They’re talking about impeachments. They’re talking about going after companies, private companies who happen to have made investments in this country over the past couple of years.”
When asked by CNN’s Dana Bash if there might be Justice Department investigations into the Democrats oversight of the Trump administration, Blanche said “there could be.”
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to order the DOJ to “look into this criminal act,” referring to comments by Democrats about launching investigations into administration acts. Trump cited Democrats “going around threatening a lot of people” with “Impeachment and many other forms of punishment.”
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Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), who is expected to become the next chair of the House Oversight Committee when Democrats officially take control of Congress in January, posted “LAWYER UP,” on X while election results came in Tuesday.
“They’re so thin skinned,” Garcia said in an interview on CNN immediately after Blanche. “It’s like guys, relax. We have a job to do, and we’re going to do it aggressively.”
Garcia and other Democrats’ comments promising oversight over the past few days appear to have rattled Blanche, who promised to defend Trump administration officials facing investigations.
“Do I see it as my job? The Constitution sees it as my job,” Blanche told CNN. “Just in every administration, the Department of Justice represents members of the executive who are brought in front of Congress, so there is nothing unique to me saying that.”
Blanche confirmed that he planned to represent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if he faces impeachment charges. Top Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), have already voiced support for impeaching Hegseth when the party takes both chambers of Congress next year.
The Justice Department can defend Trump administration officials facing legal action tied to their official duties, but the department generally has not represented government officials in criminal cases.
Garcia, who had wanted to face Blanche live but joined after the attorney general appeared, accused Blanche of working as a political shield for the president and his top officials.
“I think first we should always remember that Todd Blanche was Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, and he continues, obviously, to play that role,” Garcia said. “It is ridiculous that we have the attorney general saying to the American public that somehow he’s going to defend administration officials when his job is to defend the Constitution and the Department of Justice to be the people’s lawyer, and he’s anything but that.”
Garcia and Democrats on the Oversight Committee have made resolute statements online in recent days, including calling for incoming White House chief of staff Stephen Miller to “lawyer up” for his role as the “architect of the unconstitutional ICE raids” across the country.
“Republicans want to play games. They want to play rough and tumble. They’re coming in with all of their arsenal. We got to do the same thing as Democrats. The days of us not fighting back are over,” Garcia said.
He dubbed Trump’s family “the most corrupt family to ever be in the Oval Office, in the White House.” Garcia also signaled that he planned to have individuals like the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. and son-in-law Jared Kushner testify and be “expected to answer questions” because the American public is “tired and sick of the grift of the Trump family.”
Not every Democrat shares Garcia’s fervor for investigations into Trump’s inner circle. Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton (D-Kansas) told NBC’s “Meet the Press” he would be “deeply disappointed” if Congress spent the first two years of his term focused chiefly on scrutinizing the Trump administration.
“The bigger priority for me, and I think for most people in America, especially people living paycheck to paycheck, is ‘please help us with the cost of living,’” Hamilton said Sunday.
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