Trump White House threatens Democrats on way to Congress: ‘Blatant criminality’

Detailed summary

Trump’s top lawyer accuses leading Democrat of making ‘abusive’ and ‘shocking’ threats — like comparing himself to Pennywise

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Donald Trump’s administration is bracing for investigations from the incoming Democratic-led Congress after massive Republican losses in the midterm elections.

And the White House is already lashing out — threatening criminal investigations of its own via the Department of Justice.

The president’s top White House lawyer told the top Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee that Democrats’ public promises to investigate the Trump administration amount to “abusive and capricious threats” and their upcoming probes “may cross the line into blatant criminality.”

In his letter to Rep. Robert Garcia, White House counsel Peter Scharf cited statements from Democratic lawmakers who have pledged to issue subpoenas, hold congressional hearings and potentially prosecute administration officials and Trump allies — actions that Scharf claims are an illegitimate use of their congressional authority and only “designed to deter them from public service” or to “instill fear.”

Scharf also targeted what he called Garcia’s own “shocking” statements that “exhibit all of these malicious and improper features” — including a social media post telling administration officials to “LAWYER UP” and another that “compared yourself to a demonic clown.” In a post on X earlier this month, Garcia wrote “when they go low this is me” alongside a photo of Pennywise the clown in a gutter.

“Compulsory process is a power Congress has for oversight functions, and only for oversight functions,” Scharf wrote.

“Abusive threats and public statements about the indiscriminate issuance of subpoenas, along with threats directed at prospective targets within the Administration make it abundantly clear that any forthcoming investigative processes will be deployed to harass and aggrandize, rather than to advance any legitimate legislative end,” he added.

Garcia — who is set to chair the…

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