by Joseph Weber
The White House has put the incoming, Democrat-controlled House Oversight Committee on notice that purported planned probes could cross the line from investigations into criminal behavior.
The warning came in a letter Monday from White House counsel Will Scharf to incoming committee Chairman Rep. Robert Garcia, California, as reported Wednesday by Punchbowl News.
Among the concerns were possibly abusing subpoena power, an incoming House Democrat saying she wanted to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “squirm” and Garcia saying “lawyer up” after his party took control of Congress in the Nov. 3 elections.
“Beyond being inconsistent with the clear, well-recognized constitutional limitations on your investigative functions, 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,” the letter also reads. “And issuing unlawful subpoenas with the intention of depriving citizens of their constitutional rights and privileges may warrant further investigation.”
“The Trump Administration expects members of Congress to discharge their investigative functions within settled constitutional limits. The Administration will not be extorted and will not be cowed by unlawful process motivated by animus, pettiness, hatred, or any other unlawful motive to intimidate, penalize, or interfere with the lawful functioning of government,” the letter adds.
On social media, Garcia has specifically been focusing criticism at Stephen Miller, President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff.
“Just days after the American people rejected his corrupt and lawless presidency, Donald Trump is doubling down. Stephen Miller is the architect of the unconstitutional ICE raids that have terrorized our communities and kidnapped and killed American citizens and immigrant families. Oversight Democrats will continue to investigate Miller for his misconduct, and we will fight against his hateful policies in Congress and the courts,” Garcia said.
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Joseph Weber is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
